


Obsession

by forbiddenbloodangel



Series: Instinct [1]
Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Pregnancy, Sad Ending, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Unplanned Pregnancy, anguish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 35,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28785339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forbiddenbloodangel/pseuds/forbiddenbloodangel
Summary: Annabella had joined the military as a combat medical specialist for one reason, and one reason only. To get over Shane Walsh, who not only is older than her but is also her father and uncle's best friend.After serving the military she's has joined the police force believing she was over her little crush. But after her uncle is shot and the world turns to hell over a carnivorous virus, the two are stuck together in Atlanta with her uncle's family.Over time the two form a strange relationship and quietly live in the Atlanta camp. However, peace doesn't last forever. The return of her uncle, Rick Grimes, changes things for everyone. Annabella must learn to trust her instinct, even if it's the wrong choice.-{Season 1-2}{Book 1 of the Instinct series}Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead series or it's characters.
Relationships: Shane Walsh & Original Female Character(s), Shane Walsh/Original Character(s), Shane Walsh/Original Female Character(s), Shane Walsh/You
Series: Instinct [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2110431
Comments: 11
Kudos: 24





	1. Shootout Day

"Annabella, how about we go to the shooting range after work." Austin questioned the young women. Annabella drove the police car onto the highway as the two continued to cruise.

"That sounds good but let's grab something to eat before we go."

"I'm in the mood for Mexican food."

Annabella rolled her eyes, "I'd like to eat something I don't usually eat at home."

The radio beeped grabbing their attention. _"All available units, high-speed pursuit in progress. Linden county units request local assistance. Highway 18 eastbound. GTA, ADW, 2-17, 2-4-3. Advise extreme caution."_

"Finally, something exciting to do." Austin said as Annabella turned on the lights. She began speeding towards highway 18 eastbound.

Another police car swerved in front of them with the lights also on. Annabella looked at the number of the car and realized it was Rick and Shane.

The radio beeped again, _"Suspects are two male Caucasians. Be advised they have fired upon police officers. One Linden county officer is wounded."_

Annabella slammed on the brakes once they arrived at their destination. She watched as Rick stopped the car ahead of her. Shane and Rick get out of the car.

The Dispatcher speaks again, _"Unit 1, Unit 3, to eastbound Route 18, to miles west of Interstate 85. Will patch in Linden County Sheriff radio."_

As Rick and Shane finished blocking the road a man on radio responded, "Roger that. We're five minutes south of Route 18 intersection."

Annabella grabbed the walkie and explained to the others from Linden County, "Dispatch unit 1, and unit 3 we are 10-96 and code 100, Highway 18, E.B. of the interstate, please be advised."

Shane and Rick quickly got back in the cruiser and began to reverse. A man in the radio responded, _"10-9, we just got word from Linden county that they're on 18 now southbound—"_

The screeching of tired cut the man off as Rick slammed on the brakes. The car stopped right next to Annabella and Austin's car.

"Old branch road is closed down there so they're back onto 18." A Linden County Officer responded as the four King County deputies exited their cruisers.

Annabella cocked her gun as she got down on one knee. She lifted it towards the direction the criminals would come in. Austin stood next to her while her uncle, Rick Grimes, kneeled next to her. Shane stood on the other side of Rick.

"Sounds like they're chasing those bastards up and down every back road we have." Annabella told her uncle.

"Maybe we'll get on one of the video shows like 'Worlds Craziest Police Chases.' What do you think?" Austin asked Annabella.

Annabella turned to look at him and noticed the safety was on his gun, "What I think, Austin, is that you should look at your gun."

"What about my gun?" Austin asked. Annabella rolled her eyes as she turned to look at Shane and Rick. Shane let out a chuckle.

"Austin focus. Make sure you got a round in the chamber and your safety off." Rick told him. Austin awkwardly took the safety off his gun.

"Would be kinda cool getting on one of them shows." Shane commented as the sound of sirens grew louder. The four watched as two cop cars chased down a grey car. The grey car sped over the barricade causing the tire to pop. The car swerved before rolling over into the field.

"Holy shit." Shane remarked as they looked at the crashed car. The Linden police officers exited the cars and readied their guns. Rick began to approach the wrecked car. The car door opened and out came a man with a gun.

"Gun gun gun!" A Linden police Officer shouted.

"Put it down! Put the gun down!" Rick shouted but the man ignored him and began shooting.

Annabella and the other officers began shooting back, quickly killing the man. Annabella watched as her uncle fell from being shot. She tried her best to ignore it as she focused on the second man that came out and began shooting.

As soon as he was killed, Shane called out for her uncle, "Rick!"

"I'm alright!" Rick wheezed as Shane approached him.

"I saw you get tagged, man. That scared the hell out of me." Shane told him as Annabella approached the two.

"Me too." Rick responded as he slowly stood up. He smiled at his niece, "That son of a bitch shot me. Can you believe that?"

"Did he get your vest?" Annabella asked as she stood next to Shane.

"Yeah," he said as he caught his breath.

"Shane, Bella, you do not tell Lori that happened— ever. Do you understand? Ah!" Rick exclaimed as a gunshot fired hitting Rick in the back. Flashbacks from the military passed through Annabella's head causing her to tense up. Shane instantly shot the man.

"Police move in!" A Linden deputy shouted.

"No no no no no no," Shane repeated at he quickly went down to Rick's side. Annabella soon followed suit.

"He's hit!" Shane shouted as Annabella ripped Rick's shirt open. She put her hands over the wound, putting pressure on it.

"Austin, you get that ambulance down here! You tell them there's an officer down! You do it now!" Shane shouted as Bella focused on her uncle's wound. "Get Bella's first aid kit out of the trunk!"

"Rick you gotta stay with me okay," Annabella told her uncle as she ignored everything else around her. "Focus on my voice okay. Stay with me."


	2. The Beginning of Our End

{Weeks later}

"I picked up a man named Robb Spanner from the Rusty Nail. He's intoxicated. What should I do with him? Let him go or take him to jail?" Annabella asked Shane over the radio.

"Just go with your gut. Let your instinct tell you what's best." Shane responded. Annabella decided to take him to jail. When she arrived at the sheriff's department she took Robb and put him in a jail cell. Her nose scrunched up as she noticed a weird smell coming off of him.

A few hours later, Shane arrived with a man named Gary. He put Gary in the jail cell along with Robb. Shane walked over towards her.

"Did you smell it?" She asked him as she wrote something in her journal. Shane looked at her confused.

"Robb smelled like shit." She explained. While the two weren't looking Robb bit Gary. Shane turned on the tv to avoid talking to Annabella. The two were still awkward around each other after what happened a couple of days after Rick got shot.

_"Thank god! You're finally here." Annabella said as Shane stood out on her porch. Shane looked at her up and down. She was wearing a royal blue sports bra with black workout shorts._

_"Your dad lets you open doors like that?" Shane asked as he stepped into her house._

_"Well the AC is broken, if he were here he'd be in only basketball shorts. So yes, he does." She replied as she closed the door behind him. She took him to where the attic was. She then leaned against the door was as she watched him open the toolbox._

_"How longs it been like this?" He asked._

_"A couple of hours. Since dad's not here, I thought it would be best to call you."_

_"Where's Chris anyways?" Shane asked about her dad._

_"Well, he's apart of the SWAT so they called him to Atlanta for something." She explained._

_"I'm surprised that your old man's still working." Shane said causing them both to laugh._

_"He plans to retire this year." Annabella responded._

_"Seriously??" Shane exclaimed in shock._

_"Well, he's at the age where he keeps complaining about his knees."_

_"What's he going to do after?"_

_"He's going to be training the future swat members." She responded. Shane nodded. The two went back to their awkward silence._

_"God it's so damn hot I'm already sweating." Shane said as he grabbed the collar of his shirt and shook it._

_"No one said you had to wear your shirt." Annabella told him. Shane turned to look at her with a questionable look._

_"Can't you take a joke?" She then asked. He rolled his eyes before turning back around. She watched as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He then threw his shirt to the side._

_"You want something to drink?" Annabella awkwardly asked._

_Shane chuckled, "Yeah."_

_Annabella went downstairs and pulled out beer from the fridge. As she opened it she felt a drop of sweat drop from her chin to her chest. She grabbed a small towel and began to dry herself. She could hear footsteps drawing near._

_"Thanks," Shane said as he leaned against her and grabbed the cold beer. Annabella turned around as Shane continued to stand close to her._

_"Done already?" She asked as he gulped down the drink. He nodded in response._

_"That was quick." She began to say as she leaned against the counter and looked up at him. "How much should I pay you?"_

_"I think a billion dollars is enough." He joked. She playfully pushed him away causing him to drop the bottle of beer._

_"Shit," Shane said as he kneeled and picked up the glass. Annabella helped him clean up. The two turned and looked at each other. Annabella slowly leaned in towards his lips._

_"Stop, Bella. You don't want to do this." He told her as he stayed in place._

_"You don't know what I want." She said before placing her lips against his. Two began to kiss and were soon on the dining table. Annabella smiled as Shane pulled down her shorts._

_"Well well, what’s this we have here?" Shane asked as he noticed the tattoo she had on her left hipbone. It was a rose with a knife going through. Annabella laughed at his reaction._

_"It's just a tattoo." She said as she leaned up and kissed him. Shane pressed his chest against hers causing her to lay against the dining table. "No one knows I have it."_

_"No one except me."_

"Mercy hospital room is filled with patients..." A reporter said as the two pretended to watch tv.

"Shane, are we never going to talk about what happened?" Annabella finally asked. "You've been avoiding me ever since."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Two weeks before the global outbreak was announced—"

"Look, Bella, I told you before. This thing between us ain't happening and won't ever happen."

"But it did—"

"Bella! Just stop. I thought you were over that high school shit."

Bella followed Shane towards the police station. She had been job shadowing him for the past three weeks. As they approached the station door, Shane pulled her back by the elbow. She looked at him confused.

"Annabella, there's something you and I need to talk about," Shane told her, letting go of her elbow.

"What's up?"

"I'm just going to be as honest as I can with you." He began to say. He pointed between the two, "This will never happen."

"What will never happen?" She asked not understanding the situation.

He gave her his signature side smile, "Oh, come on. You know exactly what I'm talkin' about."

"I don't actually."

"Annabella, it's just a little crush. It's okay we've all been there. Hell, I even hooked up with the women's volleyball coach when I was your age. It'll pass in good time."

"Patty?" Shane questioned bringing Bella back to the present. She turned around and saw a woman walk into the station. She has a suspicious bloody wound on her arm.

"I wanted to tell you about Paul." She began to tell Shane. "He had a fever all day and when he woke up, he was violently crazy."

Annabella looked at her confused, "Excuse me, mam' but who are you?"

"Oh, I'm Patty. Shane's ex-girlfriend." She told her. Annabella felt a bit of jealousy seeing how she was still close to Shane.

"Here come in this room and rest while you wait on your father," Shane said as he took her to another room. Just as Annabella was about to follow them her phone began to ring.

"Hello?" Annabella answered.

"Bella, Honey, it's me." Her father responded in a loud whisper.

"Dad? What's going on?"

"Bella, listen to me very carefully. Are there any shooters in the area?"

"No," Annabella said realizing the outbreak has turned into something bigger.

"Good, it means you have time." He said with relief. "Bella, the government has been overrun."

"Tell me what to do."

"Austin, go get Gary out into the interrogation room," Shane ordered. Austin grabbed the keys and began opening Gary and Robb's cell. Shane's phone vibrated. He pulled it out and saw he had a text from Lori. She was planning on visiting Rick at the hospital. He quickly texted back that he would go instead.

"No matter what you have to stay with Shane and Lori." Chris told Annabella. "I promise, I'll be waiting here in the Atlanta refugee camp."

"Alright, dad. See you there." Annabella responded before hanging up. She quickly went over to Shane and Austin so she could inform Shane of the call she received.

"Shane," Bella called out causing him to turn around.

"My dad just—"

"Ah!" Austin screamed, interrupting Annabella. Robb had turned into a walker and ripped the flesh of Austin's neck with his teeth.

"What the hell!" Annabella exclaimed as Robb began to attack Gary. Shane and Bella quickly began to shoot Robb with no effect.

"God damn it!" Shane shouted before he finally shot Robb in the head. Robb collapsed on the ground next to a dead Austin.

"I'll go get Patty." Shane said as he left her alone. Annabella internally mourned her partner as she watched him lay on the ground.

"Robb acted just like Paul." Gary told her. Annabella just walked away, unsure of what the man was talking about. She began to run as she heard Shane shouting. She arrived in time to see Patty attacking Shane the way Robb attacked Gary.

"Get off of him already!" Annabella shouted as she pulled Patty away.

"Leave her alone!" Gary exclaimed as he approached them. Annabella pulled out her gun and shot Patty straight in the head. She then turned and shot Gary in the head. Shane stared at her in shock.

"We have to go. They have it." Annabella said as she put her gun away.

"Have what?" Shane asked.

"That virus that broke out. It's spreading like wildfire." She began to tell him. "My dad called earlier and told me the government has been overrun. We need to go to the refugee camp in Atlanta."

"Then let's go get Rick!"


	3. Amy The Mushroom Queen

"Hello. Hello. Can anybody hear my voice?" A voice questioned through the radio. Everyone looked over at it surprised. Amy dropped the wood and picked up the walkie. 

"Hey. Hello?" She called out.

"Can you hear my voice?" The man questioned. Annabella began to make her way over along with the others.

"Yes, I can hear you. You're coming in through. Over."

"If anybody reads, please respond." The man said, making it clear that they weren't getting through. "Broadcasting on emergency channel. Will be approaching Atlanta on highway 85. If anybody reads please respond."

"We're just outside the city," Amy began to say as the radio crackled. "Damn it." She mumbled. She clicked the walkie again, "Hello, Hello?"

She turned to look at Dale, "He couldn't hear me. I couldn't warn him."

"Try to raise him again." Dale began to say as Annabella stood next to Lori and Carl.

"Come on, son you know best how to work this thing." Dale then said as he turned to look at Shane. He slammed the axe down and picked up the walkie.

"Hello, Hello. Is the person who called still on the air?" Shane questioned. "This is Officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown. Please respond."

Everyone quietly waited for a response but the radio continued to cackle. Shane put the walkie down, "He's gone."

"There's others. It's not just us." Lori told him.

"We knew there would be, right? That's why we left the C.B. on." Shane told her.

"A lot of good it's been doing." Annabella sarcastically remarked. Shane grumbled an 'okay' already knowing what she was about the say. "And I've been saying for a week we have to be putting signs up on 85 so we can warn people away from the city."

"Folks got no idea what they're getting into." Amy said, siding with her friend.

"Well, we haven't had time." Shane told the women as he got up.

"I think we _need_ to make time." Annabella told him.

"Yeah that— that's a luxury we can't afford. We are surviving here. We are day to day." Shane told her.

"And who the hell would you suppose we send?" Dale then asked Annabella.

"I'll go. Give me a damn vehicle." Annabella quickly responded with annoyance in her voice.

"Nobody goes anywhere alone. You know that." Shane said get annoyed with her. The two began to stare each other down.

"I'll go with her." Lori then offered, hoping the two would stop.

"No. Nobody's goin'." Shane told her.

Annabella rolled her eyes as she began to walk away, "Yes sir."

Lori walked after her niece. Shane motioned for her to stop. "I'll go talk to her. You stay with Carl."

"What? Are you pissed at me?" Shane questioned as he tried to catch up with Annabella. She ignored him and stormed into their tent. She took a deep breath as she tried to control her emotions.

"You can be pissed at me all you want. It's not gonna change anything." Shane said before entering the tent. Annabella's back faced him.

He rubbed the back of his head, "I'm not putting you in danger, okay? I'm not doing it for anything. That make you feel like sometimes you want to slap me upside of the head— tell you what, princess. You feel that need, you go right ahead. I'm right here. Go on."

Annabella finally turned around. She shrugged, unsure of what to say. She then put her hands on her hips as Shane began to talk again.

"You cannot walk off like that, all half-cocked. Look, you don't want to do it for my sake or for your sake, that's fine. But just— you do it for him. That boy has been through to much and he depends on you now just as much as he depends on his mother. He's not losing you too, okay?"

Annabella nodded. Shane asked again, "Okay?"

"I'm a good person. I'm a good daughter... I was a good daughter." Annabella said getting her emotions under control. Shane bit his lip before looking up at her from the side.

"You tell me, 'okay'." He ordered.

Annabella nodded again, "Okay."

"Hmm?" Shane began to chuckle as he continued to bite his lip. "It's not hard. Alright."

"Hey." He then said as he got closer to her. Annabella grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled him closer. She then leaned in and kissed him.

Shane pulled away, "We can't do this."

"Shane."

"No, Annabella, listen to me. You have to stop making me feel things."

"I'm not making you feel anything. You do that on your own." Annabella said as Shane looked away from her. She let out a sigh, "Shane, do you want me to stop?"

Shane continued to look away from her. "Make a choice now. Yes or no. If you don't respond to my question I'm going to take it as a no."

Shane finally looked up a her. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No." He whispered so quietly that Annabella barely heard it. Shane put his hand on the back of her head and began to kiss her.

"Shane?" Carl called out before the kiss could grow into something more. The two quickly pulled away. Annabella began to pull her hair out it's low bun as Shane stepped out.

"What's up, bud?" Shane asked him.

"Mom's looking for you." Carl told him. Annabella closed the tent as she stayed inside.

"Alright, let's go. Bell is gonna take a nap." Shane said as he noticed her close the tent.

"Bella's been doing that a lot lately." She heard Carl say as she laid down. She adjusted the pillow under her head before pulling a thin blanket over her.

"Yeah, she has. Bella is still mourning." Shane told him.

"My dad died and mom and I aren't like that."

"You're right, bud. But she lost her uncle and her dad in less than a day. She probably feels like she has no one left."

"She has me and mom, and you." Carl said as the two walked away from the tent. Shane just smiled as he rubbed Carl's head.

  
  


~0~

"How do we tell if they're poison?" Amy asked Lori and Annabella. Lori began to look through the mushrooms.

"Uh, there's only one sure way I know of." Lori told Amy. Annabella stood up.

"Take my spot Amy?" She asked her friend. Amy nodded.

"Lori, I'm heading out. I'll be back soon." She told her aunt.

"Stay within shouting distance." Lori told her as Annabella grabbed the red bucket.

"Yes, mom." Annabella sarcastically responded before heading off. She entered the woods and began looking around for some berries. She found a small bush of raspberries and began picking them. The sound of twigs snapping caught her attention.

After plucking a couple more raspberries she began to walk around. A couple more twigs snapped causing her to stop. A bird flew by as she looked around. Her heart began to race as she heard another branch snap.

She put her hand on her gun as she began to turn around. She gasped as a hand covered her mouth. The person pushed her down, making her drop the bucket. She gripped the man's wrist as he pinned her down. Her eyes widened as she realized who it was.

"Shh shh shh shh shh shh shh." Shane said trying to calm her down. He gave her a smile. She whacked his shoulder before he let her go.

"You scared the hell out of me!" Annabella laughed.

"I bet. That's what you get for keepin' me waiting. I was trying to be quite." Shane said as he hovered over her. "Where you been?"

"Amy the mushroom queen— I had to wait for her to get back so she could distract Lori." Annabella told him. Shane leaned down and began to kiss her. Annabella leaned up as they continued to kiss.

"How much time do we have?" Shane asked as Annabella began to unbuckle his belt.

"Enough." She responded as Shane took off his shirt. He then unzipped her pants and leaned down. Annabella moaned as Shane kissed her sensitive spots.

"Where have you two been?" Lori questioned as the two returned from the woods. The two look at each other.

"We went on a walk." Shane told her.

"Yeah, and I found raspberries." Annabella said as she held up the red bucket. Lori nodded, not buying it.

"I'm going to go and wash them..." Annabella slowly said before walking off. Lori and Shane then looked at each other.

"Shane, you better not be taking advantage of her."

"Taking advantage of her? Do I look like one of the Dixon's?"

"She's not thinking clearly with everything that's happened. I just don't want you using that for your advantage."

"Look Lori, I'm not forcing your niece to do anything if that's what you're so worried about." Shane began to tell her. "Annabella is a grown women. She can take care of herself."

"I know, I know. I just... Rick and Chris they would..." Lori's words drifted off. Shane wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"She's gonna be okay. We all are."


	4. Pop The Damn Hood

"It's late. They should've been back by now." Amy said as she continued to pace back and forth.

"Worrying won't make it better." Dale told her as Jim helped him fix the RV. 

"Attaboy," Shane told Carl. "And three, two, one, pull!"

Annabella helped Lori get the dry clothes off the hanger. They then folded the clothes as Shane taught Carl how to make a knot.

"Hello! Base camp!" T-Dog's voice came through the radio. Annabella began to make her way towards the RV. "Can anybody hear me?"

"Base camp, this is T-Dog. Anybody hear me?"

"Hello? Hello?" Dale questioned. "Receptions bad on this end. Repeat. Repeat."

"Is that them?" Lori asked him.

"Where in some deep shit. We're trapped in the department store." T-Dog said.

"He said they're trapped." Shane commented as he rubbed his head.

"There are geeks all over the place. Hundreds of 'em. We're surrounded."

"T-dog, repeat that last part. Repeat." Dale said as everyone struggled to hear him.

"He said the department store." Lori told Annabella.

"I heard it too." Dale commented.

Annabella turned to look at Shane, "Shane?"

"No way. We do not go after them. We do not risk the rest of the group. Y'all know that." Shane responded.

"So we're just gonna leave her there?" Amy questioned, referring to her sister, Andrea.

"Look, Amy, I know that this is not easy—"

"She volunteered to go to help the rest of us." Amy said interrupting Shane.

"I know, and she knew the risks, right? See she's trapped, she's gone. So we just have to deal with that. There's nothing we can do." Shane told her. Annabella sighed, not liking the way Shane said it.

"She's my sister, you son of a bitch." Amy said before running off to her tent. Shane turned to look at Annabella as a sign for her to talk to Amy. Annabella nodded.

"Amy!" Annabella called out as she ran towards her tent.

"Leave me alone." Amy responded as Annabella opened the tent. She carefully stepped inside. Amy turned around and looked at Annabella with tears in her eyes.

"How could he say that?" Amy asked.

"Shane's just stupid." Annabella said as she sat down next to Amy. She put her hand on Amy's shoulder.

"Give it a few more hours. I'm sure she'll be back." Annabella reassured her.

"What if she's not?"

Annabella thought for a second. She decided to go with her honest thoughts, "If they're not back by tomorrow morning then we're going to have to move on."

"Move on?"

~0~

"What the hell is that?!" Annabella questioned as she rushed out of the tent. The sound of a car alarm grew louder and louder.

"Talk to me, Dale!" Shane called out as he approached the RV.

"I can't tell yet." Dale told them. He looked through his binoculars again.

"Is it them? Are they back?" Amy asked as she stood next to Annabella.

"What is it, Dale?" Annabella asked the man.

"Stolen car is my guess." He said as he began to climb off the RV. Annabella watched as a red sports car rushed into camp. Annabella let out a sigh of relief as she watched Glenn come out of the car with a smile on his face.

Annabella covered her ears, "Turn that shit off already!"

"I don't know how!" Glenn confessed.

"Pop the hood." Shane ordered as Amy began to bomb Glenn with questions.

"Where's my sister?"

"Pop the hood, please. Pop the damn hood, please."

"My sister Andrea—"

"Pop the damn hood!" Shane shouted.

"What? Okay okay. Yeah yeah yeah." Glenn repeated as he got back in the car. Amy continued to ask questions as he popped the hood open.

"Is she okay? Is she alright?"

"She's okay! She's okay!"

"Is she coming back?" Amy then asked.

"Yes!" Glenn shouted as Shane finally turned the alarm off. Glenn began to walk over towards Annabella.

"Why isn't she with you? Where is she? She's okay?" Amy continued to pester. Glenn turned to look at her.

"Yes! Yeah, fine. Everybody is." Glenn told everyone.

"Well, Merle not so much." Glenn said. He then wrapped his arms around Annabella.

"I'm glad you're okay." Annabella whispered as they hugged each other tightly.

"Are you crazy, driving this wailing bastard up here?" Shane asked as the two stopped hugging. The two turned to look at Shane as Glenn's arm hung loosely around her shoulder. "Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?"

"I think we're okay." Dale told him.

"You call being stupid okay?" Shane asked.

"Well the alarm was echoing all over these hills. Hard to pinpoint the source." Dale told him. Shane turned to look at him.

"I'm not arguing, I'm just saying." Dale told Shane. He then looked at Glenn, "It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, would it?"

"Sorry." Glenn apologized. He then pointed at the car, "Got a cool car."

Everyone looked past the car as they heard a truck approaching. They watched as Andrea came out from behind.

"Amy!" She called out.

"Andrea!" Amy cried as the two sisters reunited.

"You scared the shit out of me." Amy said as everyone began to reunite with their families.

"I was starting to get worried." Annabella said as she turned to look at Glenn.

"So was I. But we made it." He told her with a smile. The two had become close since he joined the camp, they had a close sibling relationship.

"How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" Shane asked Glenn.

"New guy— he got us out."

"New guy?" Shane questioned.

"Yeah, crazy vato just got into town." Morales responded. He turned towards the truck, "Hey, helicopter boy! Come say hello."

"The guys a cop like you two." Morales told Annabella and Shane. The two turned to look at the newcomer. They froze as they realized who it was. It was Rick, her uncle. She couldn't believe it, it felt like seeing a ghost.

"Oh my god." Rick whispered as he saw his wife and son.

"Dad! Dad!" Carl shouted as he and Lori ran towards Rick. Annabella watched as the three reunited in a tight hug. Annabella turned around, as Rick looked over and noticed her and Shane. Annabella began to cry knowing that she would never have a moment like that with her own father.

Shane put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright."

"No, it's not." Annabella said as she looked up at him. "My dad is never going to walk up to me the way Rick did with them."

"Bella!" Rick called out as he separated from Lori and Carl. She turned around as Rick rushed towards her.

"Thank god you're all here." Rick said as he tightly hugged her. He put an arm around Shane and pulled him into the hug. Once they separated, Rick asked the dreaded question. "Where's Chris?"

Rick looked at the two. Annabella reached out and grabbed her uncles hand. "My dad didn't make it."

"No..." Rick whispered as he began to cry. He looked at Shane not believe his niece's words.

Shane couldn't meet his gaze, "I'm sorry, man. There was nothing we could do."

"Oh god, no." Rick cried out. He looked at Annabella. She was the only thing he had left of his brother. He pulled her into his embrace once again.

"Bella, honey..." Rick said, as the two cried in each other's arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."


	5. Disoriented

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest." Rick said as everyone sat by the fire. Carl laid on his lap while Lori sat next to him. "Disoriented. Fear, confusion— all those things but... Disoriented comes closest."

"Words can be meager things." Dale commented as Annabella leaned her head against Shane's shoulder. She began to doze off. "Sometimes they fall short."

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else." Rick said as he noticed his niece being close to his best friend. "For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever."

"Mom said you died." Carl said, looking up at his father.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." Rick told him as Lori turned to look at Shane.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were going to medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Lori said as she looked back at her husband.

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Rick told Lori. "And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun."

"Yeah, looks don't deceive. Annabella and I barely got them out, you know?" Shane told Rick.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane." Rick told him. "I can't begin to express it."

"There go those words falling short again." Dale said with a slight smile. "Paltry things."

Annabella's head slid down onto Shane's lap. He put his arm around her shoulder. The sound of wood clattering caught Shane's attention, "Hey, Ed, you want to rethink that log?"

"It's cold, man." Ed responded as the others looked at him.

"The cold don't change the rules, does it?" Shane asked, causing Annabella to stir. "Keep our fires low, just embers. So we can't be seen from a distance, right?"

"I said it's cold." Ed said not caring about anyone except himself. Annabella slowly sat up from her sleep, rubbing her eyes. "You should mind your own business for once."

Shane got up and walked over towards Ed's Fire. "Hey, Ed... you sure you want to have this conversation, man?"

"Go on. Pull the damn thing out." Ed said as Annabella looked at them confused.

"Go on!" Ed exclaimed. His wife, Carol, got up causing Shane to mutter something. She leaned down and pulled out the log. Shane stomped on it so it would sizzle out.

"Hey, Carol, Sophia, how are y'all this evening?" Shane asked the girls.

"Fine. We're just fine." Carol responded.

"Okay."

"Sorry about the fire-"

"No, no, no. No apology needed. Y'all have a good night, okay?" Shane said before getting up. "I appreciate the cooperation."

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon?" Dale questioned as Shane sat back down next to Annabella. "He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind."

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." T-Dog responded him.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick told him.

"Guys, it's not a competition," Glenn said, as he sat on the other side of Annabella."I don't mean to bring race in to this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy."

"I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him." T-Dog said.

"We could lie." Annabella suggested.

"Or tell the truth." Andrea said, as she turned to look at Lori. "Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed. You're husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind it's nobody's fault but Merle's."

"And that's what we're telling Daryl?" Annabella questioned already knowing how he'd react.

"I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you?" Dale questioned Andrea. "Word to the wise— we're going to have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

"I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." T-Dog told them.

"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea asked him.

"I stoped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it. At any one time. It's not enough to break through that— not that chain. Not that padlock. My point— Dixon's alive and he's still up there , handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-Dog said. He then got up and headed towards his tent. Soon after everyone began to go to their tents.

Shane and Annabella began to climb up the RV as they were on watch that night. Annabella stopped, mid climb as she began to feel nauseous. She quickly climbed back down.

"Where are you going?" Shane questioned as he stood at the top of the RV. Annabella leaned over and began to vomit. Annabella went inside the RV and cleaned up. After a few minutes she went on top of the RV.

"You okay?" Shane questioned.

"Yeah. I've just never liked mushrooms. I guess forcing them down was a bad idea." Annabella said as it started to rain. She wrapped a blanket around herself as she sat next to Shane. She put her police ball cap on her head. Moaning from Lori's tent caught their attention.

"Eww." Annabella said causing Shane to laugh.

"What do you mean 'eww'? We did that just a couple of hours ago."

"Yeah, but Carl wasn't next to us."

"He'a probably fast asleep." Shane told her. Annabella shook her head.

"Let's change the subject." She said as she turned to look at him.

"Alright.." Shane said as he began to think. "What would you be doing if none of this would have happened?"

"Well, I've always wanted to join the SWAT like my dad." Annabella said as she turned to look at the rain. "But I'd also like to be a mom and have lots of kids."

"And one day, I'd like to help you with that." Shane told her with a side smile. She turned around and kissed him.

"None of that is possible now." She told him with a sad smile.

"Why not?"

"There's obviously no government any more so no SWAT. And I wouldn't ever wanna have kids with how things are now." She began to tell him. "You know I feel bad for kids like Carl and Sophia. They don't get to enjoy the innocence we did when we were their age."

**{The Next Day}**

"Morning sleepyhead" Annabella said, as Shane opened his eyes. As always Annabella was up earlier then everyone else.

"Surprised you're still in the tent." Shane said after giving her a kiss.

"I came to put away some of your clean clothes." She told him as she finished folding everything.

"Is Rick up?" Shane asked.

"Not yet, why?"

"Cause I don't think he knows that for the past week or so his niece has been sleeping here."

"If Lori didn't care then I don't think he will."

"Lori is starting to notice somethings going on. Won't take long till he does." Shane said as he got dressed.

"Let's not worry about that right now." Annabella told him before placing a kiss on his lips.

"I'm gonna go pick up some water from the quarry. Can I—"

"No, you are not taking my car." Annabella's said before walking out of the tent. Last time he had took her 2009 black Porsche Cayenne he returned it with mud all over it although there was no mud in the area he was supposed to go in. She walked over to where all the women were doing laundry.

"Shane awake yet?" Lori asked her.

"Yeah." Annabella responded as she stood next to Amy. She began to hang some clothes.

"Bella!" Glenn called out. Annabella stoped what she was doing and rushed towards Glenn.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at what they're doing to it." Glenn whined as they took the red sports car apart. Annabella rolled her eyes.

"I was busy doing laundry." She told him.

"I just wanted a little sympathy." Glenn told her, making her laugh.

"You're an idiot." Annabella said before returning to the laundry area. Less than an hour later, Rick approached them.

"Morning, Officer." Lori greeted as Rick leaned over and kissed the top of Annabella's head.

"Hey." He greeted back. The two began to have a quiet conversation.

"So is law enforcement something that runs in the family?" Amy asked Annabella.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Annabella responded.

"Was your dad in law enforcement?"

Annabella bit her lip causing Amy to realize she had gone to far, "I'm sorry."

"No it's fine. My dad... my dad was in the SWAT." Annabella told her. They turned around as they heard a car approaching. It was Shane coming back in his black jeep.

"Water's here, y'all." Shane said as he turned off the car. "Just a reminder to boil before use."

Annabella walked over and helped the others unload the car. A woman's scream made her nearly drop a bucket. She quickly placed it back down as she heard Carl yell for his mom.

"Shit!" Annabella exclaimed as she pulled out her gun and ran towards Carl's shouting. She ran past Lori who had caught up to Carl, Sophia, and Jacqui. She slowed down as she saw a walker eating a deer in a clearing.

They watched as the walker continued to eat the animal without noticing them. She looked at the dear and noticed the arrows sticking out of its hip. Daryl had shot the deer. The walker got up and began to approach Rick. The men quickly began to beat the walker. Annabella stumbled back as she began to feel nauseous. She turned, looking at the deer.

"I can't do this right now." Annabella mumbled before walking around the deer and into the woods. She leaned against the tree as she began to throw up. She wiped her mouth with her black tank top.

"What's wrong with me?" Annabella questioned not believing she got nauseous after seeing that. It wasn't her first time seeing a walker. Was she getting sick after eating those mushrooms? Maybe she was allergic.

"Now that's why I don't go eating tacos." A familiar voice said. She turned towards her right and saw Daryl standing there.

"Shut up, asshole." She told him, she walked back towards the group with Daryl behind her. She froze as she saw Shane pointing his rifle at her.

"Oh, Jesus." Shane grumbled, putting his gun down, as he noticed Daryl behind her.

"Son of a bitch!" Daryl exclaimed. "That's my deer!"

"Look at it all gnawed on by this.." Daryl said as he started to kick the walker. "Filthy, diseased-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!"

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale told him.

"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl angrily questioned as he approached Dale. "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to 'On Golden Pond'?"

"I've been tracking this deer for miles." Daryl then said as he took his arrows out of it. "Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"

"I would not risk that." Shane responded.

Daryl sighed, "That's a damn shame.I got us some squirrel— about a dozen or so. That'll have to do."

"Oh god." Amy muttered as she noticed the walkers head still moving.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" Daryl said before shooting the walkers head with his crossbow. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?"


	6. Already Gone

"Merle!" Daryl called out as everyone returned to camp. "Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up."

"Daryl, just slow down a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane told him.

"About what?" Daryl asked as Annabella sat down to watch everything go down. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear.

"About Merle." Shane responded. "There was a— there was a problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" Daryl asked, it was clear from his expression that he was upset.

"We're not sure."

"He either is or he ain't!"

"No easy was to say this, so I'll just say it." Rick said as he approached Daryl.

"Who are you?"

"Rick Grimes."

"Rick Grimes. You got something you want to tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

"Hold on, let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!"

"Yeah." Rick told him. Daryl angrily threw the squirrels at Rick. Shane quickly tackled him down. Daryl pulled out a knife and jumped up.

"Watch the knife." T-Dog said as he approached them. Annabella got up and cocked her gun behind him. Daryl tensed up for a moment giving Shane and Rick a chance to grab him.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl shouted as Annabella continued to point the gun at him.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane responded as he sat Daryl down.

"Choke holds illegal." Daryl told him.

"You can file a complaint. Come on man, I can keep this up all day." Shane said as Rick kneeled down in front of them. Annabella put her gun back in place.

"First time I see her pull a gun out that quick." Andrea muttered from behind her.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that? Do you think we can manage that?" Rick questioned.

"Yeah." Daryl grumbled. Shane instantly let him go.

"What I did was not on whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick told him.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key." T-Dog began to say. "I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain."

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl said as he stood back up.

"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him— with a padlock." T-Dog told him.

"It's gotta count for something." Rick said.

"Hell with all y'all!" Daryl shouted after wiping a tear off his face. "Just tell me where he is so I can go get him."

"He'll show you." Lori said looking at her husband. "Isn't that right?"

"I'm going back." Rick confirmed. Annabella stared at her uncle in disbelief. They had just reunited and he's already leaving. Annabella walked off towards her tent.

~0~

"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?" Shane questioned his best friend.

"I'm not saying to hell with anybody— not you Shane; Lori least of all." Rick said as he began to walk away.

"Tell her that." Shane said making Rick turn around.

"She knows."

"Well look I— I don't okay, Rick? And neither does Bella so could you just— could you throw me a bone here, man?" Shane asked loud enough for Annabella to wake up from her nap. Shane followed after Rick, "Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?"

"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl warned as Annabella cane out of the tent.

"No, I did. Douche bag's what I meant." Shane told Daryl. He then turned to look at Rick. "Merle Dixon— the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying thirsty."

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst— me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Rick told Shane.

"So you and Daryl, that's your big plan?" Lori questioned as Annabella finally reached them. Rick turned to look at Glenn.

"Oh, come on." Glenn complained.

"You know the way. You've been there before— in and out, no problem. You said so yourself." Rick told him. Annabella shook her head, not wanting Glenn or Rick to leave. "It's not fair of me to ask— I know that— But I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too."

"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men, huh?" Shane said, next to her.

"Four." Annabella said, surprising everyone.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl scoffed. Shane shook his head at her.

"Do you see anyone else stepping up to save your dick of a brother?" Annabella asked him.

"Why you?" Daryl asked.

"I am not going to let Glenn or Rick risk their lives alone."

"That's four." Dale commented.

"It's not just four. Your putting every single one of us at risk. And if you let Bella out there she'll be at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. Their moving out of the cities. They come back we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp."

"Fine, Annabella stays." Rick said.

"What?!" Annabella exclaimed.

"But It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns." Rick said ignoring her.

"Right, the guns." Glenn said as he caught on.

"Wait. What guns?" Annabella asked not liking being out of loop.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen hand guns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left." Rick began to explain to her. Everyone watched as the three former officers talked about guns. Rick turned to look at Shane, "I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It's just sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up."

"Ammo?" Shane then asked.

"700 rounds, assorted."

"You went through hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori questioned her husband.

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl said.

"To hell with the guns. Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives, even with guns thrown in." Lori said as Rick approached her. "Tell me. Make me understand."

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy. Lori, that hadn't taken me in I'd died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him."

"Whats stopping you?" Lori asked.

"The walkie-talkie, the one in the bag I dropped. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer."

"These are our walkies?" Shane asked.

"Yeah."

"So use the C.B.. What's wrong with that?"

"The C.B.'s Fine. It's the walkies that suck to crap— date back to the '70s. Don't match any other bandwidth— not even the scanners in our cars." Annabella explained.

"I need that bag." Rick said before walking over to Carl. Annabella let out a deep sigh.

"If you don't go, I'll go in your place." T-Dog told her. Annabella smiled at him, "Thanks."

Everyone scattered back to their usual thing as the four men got ready to leave. Rick walked over to her. She rolled her eyes and began to walk back to her tent.

"Annabella!" Rick said grabbing her wrist. She turned around, annoying.

"I'm going with you." Annabella stated.

"I know you're mad but I'm not letting you go—"

"I'm not mad. I'm furious because now not only do I have Shane treating me like a kid but now I have you. I know how to take care of myself, Rick. You know that. I didn't spend my time in the army playing with cards."

"I do know that. But your the only thing Shane and I have left of your father. That's why we're so protective." Rick began to tell her. "Another reason I'm making you stay is because Shane's right. If something happens they're going to need you. Just think about it."

"What if you need me?"

"Bella, Lori and Carl, they're not like you. No one here is. I would feel so much better knowing that you were here, protecting them."

"I guess your right." Annabella told her uncle as she began to think more rationally. The only person here able to handle guns along with combat and emergency medical treatment was her. "Just take care of Glenn for me, okay? I know that he knows his way around but he's not like you."

Rick raised an eyebrow, "Are you two..."

"God no!" Annabella laughed. "Glenn's like a brother to me."

"Okay." Rick said before giving his niece a tight hug. He walked off and headed towards Jim and Dale with T-Dog. Annabella looked around and found Glenn walking towards the truck.

"Glenn!" Annabella called out as she walked over to him. He turned around and gave her a smile.

"I'll be careful, don't worry."

"I really don't like this." She told him as he got in the car. "I have a bad feeling about this."


	7. Unfair

"I'm beginning to question the division of labor here." Jacqui said as she walked with Andrea towards Amy, Annabella, and Carol. Annabella continued to scrub the clothes down as she heard Carl and Shane laugh. The we're supposed to be catching frogs. Annabella smiled as she watched them. 

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui asked. 

"The world ended. Didn't you get the memo?" Amy sarcastically remarked. 

"It's just the way it is." Carol said as she glanced at her husband. 

"I do miss my Maytag." Carols said. 

"I miss my Benz, my Sat Nav." Andrea remarked. 

"I miss my coffee maker." Jacqui said. "With that dual-drip filter and built in grinder, honey."

"My computer..." Amy said. "And texting."

"I miss tequila," Annabella said catching the women's attention. Annabella wasn't much of a talker with people she isn't close to. "I miss going to the Hispanic night clubs, which I personally think are better than the white ones."

"I didn't know Lori was your aunt until Rick came." Jacqui commented using the opportunity to get to know her. 

"Rick is my dads younger brother." She explained. Everything went quiet again. 

"I miss my vibrator." Andrea said. 

"Me too." Annabella instantly responded. 

"Oh!" Jacqui cooed causing everyone to laugh. 

"Oh my god!" Amy exclaimed.

"Me three." Carol then said causing the women to laugh louder. 

"What's so funny?" Ed asked as he approached them. 

"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea said as their laughter died down. Andrea turned around and noticed Ed hovering over them. "Problem, Ed?"

"Nothin' that concerns you." Ed told her. He then looked at his wife. "And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club."

"Hey Carl, what did I tell you about not leaving Dale's sight?" Lori said as she approached Carl and Shane. 

"But Shane said we could catch frogs, remember?" Carl said as the two sat next to each other. 

"It doesn't matter what Shane says. It matters what I say. Go on back to camp." Lori told him as she gestured him to head back. Carl reluctantly got up. "I'll be right behind you."

"I've got to tell you, I do not think you should be taking this out on him." Shane told her as he got up. 

"You don't tell me what to do. You lost that privilege after I heard you two in the tent this morning." 

"Lori, could you just wait up a second? I think we should talk. We haven't had a chance—"

"No. No, no. That's over too. You can tell that to the frogs." Lori said as she turned back around towards Carl. 

"Damn it, Lori. Look, I don't know how it appears to you or what you think—"

"How it appears to me? I'm sorry, is there a grey area here? Let me dispel it. You stay away from us, and you stay away from Annabella. You don't look at her. You don't talk to her. If you do, it's to end it with her. From now on my family is off limits to you."

"Lori, I don't think that's fair.." Shane began to say. 

Lori began to rush over to him, "Shane, shut up. Don't!"

"Bella is a grown women—" Shane was interrupted by a slap from Lori. 

"Don't! My husband is back. Her uncle is back. He's alive." Lori told him.

"He's my best friend. Do you think I'm not happy about that?"

"How dare you? Why would you be? You were the one that told us that he died. You probably did it so you'd have the chance to be with her you son of a bitch." Lori said before walking alway. Shane glared at her as she left. 

"Ed, tell you what." Andrea began to say as she got up. "You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself." She then threw the clothes at him. "Here."

He instantly threw it back, "Ain't my job, missy."

"Andrea, don't." Amy warned as she stood behind her. 

"What is your job, Ed?" Annabella began to question as she stood up. "Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?"

"Well it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppitty smart-mouthed bitches." Ed remarked. He then looked at Carol. "Tell you what— come on. Let's go."

"I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." Annabella said as Carol stood up. 

"And I say it's none of your business. Come on now. You heard me."

"Carol." Andrea said trying to hold her back. 

"Andrea, please. It doesn't matter." Carol told her. 

"Hey, don't think I won't throw you on your ass just cause you're some college-educated cooze, alright?" Ed told Andrea causing her to gasp. He turned to look at his wife. "Now you come on now or you're gonna regret it later."

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed?" Jacqui questioned causing him to chuckle. "Yeah we've seen them."

"Stay out of this." He told her. He then looked at Carol, "Now come on!"

"You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I'm done talking. Come on." He said grabbing Carol. 

"No, no, Carol, you don't have—"

"You don't tell me what! I tell you what!" Ed snapped, slapping Carol. Everyone began to go crazy. 

"God damn it." Annabella muttered. She got in between everyone and shoved Ed back causing him to fall on the ground. Some of them looked at her surprised because she was able to push such a large man down. 

"What are you gonna do SWAT wanna be?" Ed asked as he quickly got up. In a swift motion Annabella punched him straight on the jaw. He stumbled back surprised. She swung again, hitting him in the nose. She then slid her leg under him causing him to fall back down. Before she could give him another hit Shane walked over and dragged him to the side. 

"Get off me!" Ed shouted. 

"Ed?!" Carol cried out. 

"It's okay, it's okay." Amy assured her as Shane began to beat Ed. He continued to beat him without rest. That's when Annabella realized Shane wasn't beating Ed for what he just did, he was beating Ed out of his own rage. However, Annabella didn't know what was causing him to be so angry. 

"Shane stop!" The women shouted at him but he ignored them. He then grabbed Ed by the collar and lifted him up to his eye level. 

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me? Do you hear me?" Shane threatened him.

"Yes." Ed barely managed to say. 

"I'll beat you to death, Ed." Shane said before finally getting off of him. 

"Ed!" Carol cried out as Shane gave a few more kicks. 

"Ed, I'm sorry." Carol cried as she leaned down over him. "Ed, I'm sorry."

Shane and Annabella locked eyes. They looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Shane then rubbed the back of his head before running off. She looked at him confused before turning to look at the others. 

"It's okay, we'll take care of this." Amy assured her. Annabella nodded. She began to walk back to camp. When she arrived she noticed Shane in their tent. She quickly walked over and entered it. 

"What are you doing? The cops aren't gonna chase you down for beating someone." She said as she noticed him packing things. "At least I'm not."

"Seriously, Shane. What the hell are you doing?" Annabella demanded. 

"I'm leaving." 

"Leaving? Leaving what?" Annabella questioned. Still not understanding. 

"Us. This is done. There's an extra tent. I'll set it up so we don't have to be close and I'll make sure we don't have watches together anymore."

"What? Why are you breaking up with me? Did Rick say something to you?"

"No."

"Did Lori?"

"She didn't have to." Shane said, not making eye contact with her. 

"Are you serious?" She asked as she watched him fold his blanket. 

"Why?!" Annabella exclaimed. 

"Why not." He muttered in response. He threw his duffle bag over his shoulder. He attempted to walk past her but she stopped him. 

"You lying bastard!" Annabella shouted as she shoved him back. She then gave him a right swing across the jaw. "You son of bitch! You lying—"

"Let me go."

"No! After everything that has happened to us you are not walking away from me like this!" Annabella shouted as she gave him another right swing. 

He grabbed her wrists to prevent her from hitting him, "It's over. You can't get everything you want."

"Pendejo!" Annabella exclaimed as she slammed her forehand against his. He instantly let go of her as he stumbled back, "Tell me! You have to tell me why!" 

"Are you done shouting and ready to talk?" Shane asked as their chests heaved up and down. Their blood rushing with adrenaline. 

"After everything we've been through, why? Why would you do this?" Annabella said in a calmer tone. 

"None of this was serious." Shane shrugged.

"It wasn't serious? You did not just say that. It wasn't serious!"

"Bella—"

"Stop. You're saying that after everything that has happened. Staying by each other's side, supporting each other through it all meant nothing for you?"

"It was all for fun. I got to hit it a couple of times and got what I wanted."

"I'm disgusted.." Annabella said as she struggled to hold back her tears. She couldn't believe what he just said. "Get out. Now."

After recollecting herself, Annabella exited the text with a clearer mind. She looked around camp until she found a recently set up tent. 

"Shane." Annabella called out as she opened the tent. She looked around and saw no one inside. She closed the tent back up. She turned around and saw Amy standing in front of her. 

"Where is he?" Annabella asked her. 

"I saw him go into the woods a while ago." Amy said. "Hey, whats wrong?"

"Leave me alone." Annabella said as she walked past Amy. She noticed Lori and rushed over to her. 

"Where is he?!" Annabella shouted. Lori was surprised at her outburst. 

"I don't know, Bella. But you need to leave him alone." Lori said Annabella began to make her way towards the woods. 

"No! Tell me where he is!" 

"I told you I don't know." Lori said as she grabbed Annabella's arm. 

"Nobody talk to me! Nobody talk to me!" Annabella screamed at the top of her lungs. Everyone at camp stared at her in shock. 

"What the fuck is going on?" Andrea questioned as she now stood next to Amy. Her sister shrugged. 

"Annabella, you need to stop this! He left because he is a sick bastard!" Lori shouted as she stood in front of Annabella. 

"Then why did he leave me, Lori?! Why? What did I do wrong?!"

"You have to stop! You're acting like a child!" 

"Your such a bitch." Annabella said as she shoved Lori out of her way. She continued to walk towards the woods. 

"I don't care if you think I'm a bitch. I'm doing what's best for you." Lori said as she followed after her. 

"Don't talk to me, I don't want you anywhere near me." Annabella said. 

"I'm trying to..."

"Don't talk to me. Don't talk to me." Annabella continued to repeat as her voice got louder and louder.

"...Help you. You need help—"

"Don't get near me!" Annabella shouted as she turned back around. "Don't get near me!"

"I'm trying to protect you—"

"Don't touch me! Get away from me!" 

"I'm not touching you, Annabella." Lori said as Annabella continued to yell for her to get away. "I'm trying to protect you from him!"

"I hate you! I hate you!" Annabella yelled towards Lori as Morales walked over to her. He grabbed her by the waist and picked her up. "I hate you! I hate you!"

"Ya cálmate, mija. Ya cálmate." Morales told her as he began carrying her towards her tent. 

"I'm fucking pissed!" Annabella then shouted as she began to kick his shin. Morales held in the pain as he continued to take her away. Amy followed after them as Annabella began to cry. Everyone else looked at each other, unsure of how to react. "I hate him! I hate him! Why would he do that to me?!"

Amy entered the tent as soon as Morales left her inside. Andrea shrugged, "I didn't know she was so bipolar."

"She's not." Lori said as she head to her own tent. "She's acting different."

"I know you don't want me to touch you or bother you..." Amy said as she placed her hand on Annabella's shoulder.

"Why did he leave me like that?" Annabella sobbed. 

"I know, it's okay." Amy said as she laid down next to Annabella. She wrapped her arms around Annabella. Amy rubbed her back as Annabella sobbed. 

"Please... Stop... leave me alone."

"I'm not going to leave you alone like this."

"Please!" Annabella begged. 

"No. Just take a deep breath and calm down."


	8. A Dream Come True

"What did you say to her?" Lori asked as he returned from the woods. Shane ignored her and began to walk towards his new tent.

"Shane. What did you say to her?!" Lori questioned again as she followed after him. Shane finally turned around to look at her.

"Does it really matter? You wanted me to end things and I did."

"She's been crying her eyes out since you left. She even had an emotional outburst."

"You did this." Shane told her before turning back around. Lori shook her heard, she went back towards Carl. After Annabella's outburst things were quiet at the camp. Amy and Andrea had gone fishing and the others were quietly doing chores.

Annabella woke up from her nap feeling better than she had earlier. Her emotions were back under control. She had decided to try her best to move on. After washing her face with a washcloth, she stepped out of the tent to go see the group.

"Hey, Dale. When's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace." Andrea told him as Annabella reached the group. She looked around and saw Shane sitting on the RV's steps. The two made eye contact and quickly looked away from each other.

"I, uh— I don't want to alarm anyone," Dale began to say, grabbing everyone's attention. "But we may have a bit of a problem."

Dale pointed up on the mountains. Everyone turned to look and saw Jim. He was digging under the burning sun. Everyone began to walk up the mountain towards Jim.

"Hey, Jim." Shane called out as Jim continued to dig. "Jim, why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here, please."

"What do you want?" Jim asked as he stuck the shovel down. Annabella looked at the color of his skin and realized he had sunstroke.

"We're all just a little concerned, that's all." Shane calmly told him.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours." Morales told him.

"So?"

"So why are you digging?" Shane asked. "Are you heading to China, Jim?"

"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone."

"Yeah, except maybe yourself. It's 100 degrees today. You can't keep this up." Dale told him.

"He's not going to listen." Annabella commented.

"Why not?" Amy asked.

"Cause he has sunstroke. He needs water, shade, and rest."

"Nothings wrong with me, okay? Just watch me." Jim said as he began to dig again.

"Jim, their not going to say it so I will." Lori said as she stepped up. "You're scaring people. You're scaring my son and Carol's daughter."

"They got nothing to be scared of." Jim began to say as he stoped again. "I mean, what the hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the hell alone?"

"We think that you need to take a break, okay?" Shane said as he approached him. "Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe. I'll tell you what— maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself. Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?"

"Or what?"

"There is no or what. I'm asking. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you." Shane told him.

"And if don't, then what? Then you and Bella are gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you?" Jim began to say. He then looked at the group. "Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it." He looked back at Shane. "See, that's what happens when someone crosses you or her. Our supposed leader and sub leader."

"That was different, Jim." Shane defended himself.

"You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife." Amy said.

"That is their marriage. That is not his or hers. They're not judge and jury." Jim said. He turned to look at Shane, "Who voted you king boss, huh?"

"Jim, we're not going to argue with you, all right? Just give me the shovel, okay?" Annabella said as she reached for the shovel.

"No no no." Jim said as he pulled it back. Jim then swung the shovel at Annabella. Shane quickly tackled Jim down as Annabella pulled the shovel away. The group was shoved at their quick movements. Not just that but it was clear to Lori that Shane cared for Annabella.

"You got no right!" Jim shouted as Shane hand cuffed him. "You got no right!"

"Jim, nobody is going to hurt you." Shane told him.

"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it 100 times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands." Jim told everyone. "You know, the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead where to busy eating my family."

~0~

  
  


"Where are you going?" Andrea asked Amy as she got up.

"I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here—" Amy grumbled as she walked off. Everyone laughed at her comment.

"Lori." Annabella whispered next to her aunt. Lori turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry." Annabella apologized. "I don't know what's wrong with me these days. I'm usually not like that."

"Don't worry about it." Lori responded as she gave her niece a hug.

"We're out of toilet paper?" Annabella heard Amy question. Everyone turned around to look at her only to hear her scream in terror. A walker had ripped the flesh off her arm. Everyone screamed as they noticed walkers around them.

"Mom!" Carl screamed.

"Carl!" Lori shouted as she grabbed her son. Shane grabbed Annabella and pushed her behind him.

"Lori, get him down!" Shane shouted as he began to shoot the walkers. Annabella leaned her back against Shane's and began to shoot the walkers behind him. She noticed Carol and Sophia standing alone without protection.

"Annabella!" Shane called as she ran towards them. Annabella shot a walker that approached the girls.

"I'm right here." Lori said holding on to Shane. "Shane, what do we do? Annabella is out there alone. Shane?"

"Follow me!" Shane shouted. "She can take care of herself!"

"All of you get behind me!" Shane shouted towards everyone. Carol put a hand on Annabella's shoulder while the other was on Sophia's.

"Stay close!" Shane shouted. "Come on y'all! Work your way up here!"

"Everyone make your way to the RV!" Morales shouted to everyone as he continued to beat walked with a bat.

"Annabella, work your way up here!" Shane shouted as he pushed everyone behind him towards the RV.

"Stay behind me! Come on!" Annabella shouted to Carol and Sophia as she walked towards Shane.

"Let's go!" Shane shouted. "Make your way to the Winnebago!"

Gunshots began to get louder. She looked around as saw walkers falling dead left and right.

"Baby! Carl! Bella!" Rick shouted as he looked for his family. He noticed the group by the RV.

"Dad!" Carl shouted as he ran to his dad.

"Carl!" Rick exclaimed as he wrapped his arms tightly around his son.

"Bella! Bella!" A familiar voice shouted in distress. Annabella saw Glenn frantically searching for her. She moved from behind Shane and ran toward him.

"Glenn!" Annabella called out as she reached him. They hugged each other tightly as Glenn began to cry.

"It's okay. It's okay." She told him as she pulled away from him. She wiped his eyes.

"I thought— when I heard the screams..." Glenn murmured. Andrea's crying caught their attention. They watched as Andrea sobbed over Amy's dead body.

"Amy!" Andrea wailed. "Amy! Amy!"


	9. The Dutiful Niece

"She still won't move?" Rick asked Annabella. He had returned from the top of the mountain.

"She won't even talk to us." Lori said as Annabella shook her head. "She's been there all night. What do we do?"

"Can't just leave Amy like that. We need to deal with it. Same as the others." Shane said.

"I tried talking to her but she wouldn't listen to me." Annabella told them. Rick nodded.

"I'll tell her how it is." Rick said. He walked over towards everyone. Everyone jumped up surprised as they saw Andrea pull her gun out on Rick. He slowly backed away and returned to the group.

"Y'all can't be serious." Daryl began to say he turned to look at them. "Let that girl hamstring us? That dead girl's a time bomb."

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked him.

"Take the shot." Daryl said as he stood close to Rick. "Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."

"No." Annabella sternly told him. "God damn just let her be. She just lost her sister."

Daryl scoffed before walking away. He returned to disposing of the dead.

"I'm sure this is hard for you too." Lori told Annabella.

"I've lost comrades in the military, so I'm used to it."

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it easy." Rick told her. "If you feel like crying then—"

"A walker got him. A walker bit Jim." Jacqui announced to everyone. Everyone quickly got up and began to surround him.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim assured.

"Show it to us." Daryl ordered. "Show it to us."

Jim reached down and grabbed a shovel. He held it up, ready to hit someone.

"Easy Jim." Shane said.

"Grab him!" Daryl ordered as Shane kept telling him to put it down.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." Jim repeated. T-Dog grabbed him from behind causing Jim to drop the shovel. Annabella used the opportunity to get close and pull his shirt up, revealing the bite mark. Annabella and T-Dog quickly backed away. "I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay."

~0~

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it." Daryl suggested to the group. Jim stood a few feet away by the RV.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane asked him.

"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it. "

"I hate to say it— I never thought I would— but maybe Daryl's right." Dale told them. Annabella stared at him surprised.

"Dale, Jim isn't a monster." Annabella said.

"I'm not suggesting-"

"He's a sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we draw the line?" Rick questioned.

"The line's pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be." Daryl answered.

"What if we can get him help?" Rick asked. "I heard the C.D.C. was working on a cure."

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell." Shane told his friend.

"What if the C.D.C is still up and running?" Rick questioned.

"Man, that is a stretch right there."

"Why? If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the C.D.C. at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection—"

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

"That's 100 miles in the opposite direction." Annabella told him. She had been there before for airborne school and RASP.

"That is right." Shane agreed. "But It's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'd be heavily armed. We'd be safe there."

"The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that." Rick told them. "The C.D.C. is our best choice and Jim's only chance."

"You go looking for aspirin, do what you need to do." Daryl began to say as he turned around towards Jim. He lifted up his pickaxe and began to swing. "Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Rick shouted as he pointed his gun at him. Shane came around to the other side of Daryl. "We don't kill the living."

"That's funny coming from a man who just put a gun to my head." Daryl responded.

"We may disagree on some things, not on this. You put it down. Go on." Shane ordered. Daryl angry stuck the pickaxe down.

"Come with me." Rick said as he grabbed Jim.

Jim stared at him worriedly, "Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe."

~0~

"Say it." Rick ordered as he finished digging a hole.

"Okay." Shane began to say as he stuck his shovel to the ground. "I'm thinking if you'd of stayed here, if you'd have looked after your own— instead you went off. You took half our manpower with you. I'm thinking maybe our loses wouldn't have been so bad."

"If we hadn't gone off and brought those guns back when we did, I think our loses would have been a lot worse. Maybe the entire camp." Rick told him as a truck approached. Daryl came out of truck that was filled with dead camp members.

"I still think it's a mistake not burning these bodies. It's what we said we'd do, right?" Daryl told them as the others approached. "Burn 'em all, wasn't that the idea?"

"At first." Shane said as he and Rick continued to dig.

"The chinaman gets all emotional, says it's not the thing to do, we just follow him along?" Daryl questioned. "These people need to know who the hell's in charge here, what the rules are."

"You sure as hell aren't in charge and their are no rules anymore." Annabella told him as she walked up to them.

"Well, that's a problem." Lori began to say. "We haven't had one minute to hold onto anything of our old selves. We need time to mourn and we need time to bury our dead. It's what people do."

Everyone then began to unload the dead bodies and bury them. Amy was the last body to be buried. Everyone watched as Dale attempted to help Andrea bury Amy.

"I can do. I can do it." Andrea cried as she struggled to place the body down. Annabella looked away as she began to cry. Dale then helped Andrea get out of the hole. Annabella was the first to leave back to camp as she couldn't handle it anymore. The others followed behind her.

"Annabella." Glenn said as he put an arm around her shoulder. She turned to look at him and attempted to give him a smile. However her tears got the best of her and she began to sob.

Glenn brought her into a hug. Annabella wrapped her arms around his waist as Shane walked by. She looked up at Glenn, "Don't ever leave my side again, okay?"

"I won't. I promise." Glenn told her. The two then separated. He gave her a smile as she walked away. She sat down at the edge of the RV's door.

She leaned her head against the door frame as she wiped her eyes. She let out a long sigh as she readjusted her bun. The sound of foot steps caught her attention. Shane crouched down in front of her.

"I need you to talk some sense into Rick." He told her. Annabella got up annoyed that he only came to talk to her about Rick. Shane got up after her.

"Look, this C.D.C thing, Bella, it's a mistake." He told her. Annabella sighed, unsure of what to say to him. "So you're backing him?"

"What else would I do? He's my uncle."

"Look, it may be time for you to play the dutiful niece, but you can't tell me that your anger towards me is worth putting people's lives at risk."

"I think people around here can make up their minds without bringing my relation to Rick into it. It's a habit you need to break."

"I guess I'll just add it too the list of habits I'm breaking. Weather I like it or not." Shane said making Annabella believe he might still have feelings for her. The sound of Rick exiting the RV caught their attention. They both turned to look at him.

"What habits?" Rick asked his friend.

"Just talking for my need for a plan, man." Shane said, half lying. "So what is it? Are we leaving or not? Maybe y'all just want to stay here. We could hang some more tin cans."

"We can't stay here, we both know that." Rick said.

"I was just telling Shane I think we should trust your gut." Annabella told her uncle.

Shane dropped his head, not believe Annabella sided with her uncle. He then looked up at Rick, "Let's go do our sweep."


	10. Misinterpretation

"Annabella, I need to tell you something." Lori said as Annabella watched Rick and Shane walk away.

"What is it?" Annabella said as she turned to look at Lori.

Lori let out a small sigh, "I told your uncle about what been going on with Shane."

"You did what?!" Annabella exclaimed. She began to head to the woods. "I'm going to go find them before they get into an argument."

"Tell you what, man, these people, man, they're not convinced. You know?" Shane told Rick as they walked through the forest. "You head to the C.D.C., you might be on your own. You gotta really consider whether you want to put Lori, Carl, and Bella in that kind of spot."

"I got to do what's best for my family."

"Best for your family? What's that? Exposing them to all kinds of risks?"

"As opposed to what? Crossing 100 miles of hostile territory? If we're looking for a lifeline, I say swim toward the closest ship, not further out to sea. Why can't you back me up?"

"Look, I want to. It's just... I don't see it."

"If it was your family, you'd feel differently." Rick said. Shane couldn't believe what he said. He walked over to him with annoyance.

"What did you say to me? I kept 'em safe, man. I looked after them like they were my own. That's what I did."

"If you treated them as your own you wouldn't have messed with Bella" Rick said, surprising Shane. "That's right. Lori caught me up on everything that has gone on between you two."

"Well, did she mention that it's done?"

"Cause you got what you wanted?"

"You think I used her for sex?" Shane questioned. Rick gave him a look as if asking him to prove him wrong.

"Well, how'd you mean it? Go on, man, how'd you mean it?"

Shane let out a sigh, "You're misinterpreting me. You're just hearing it wrong. Both you and Lori misunderstood the situation. Look, you know— you know I would never do that to her or you, okay? I ended it before it even became something, alright? Nothing happened. Nothing will happen."

The sound of a branch snapping caught their attention. The two raised their guns and separated to search around. Filled with anger, Shane pointed his gun at Ricks back. Thoughts of Annabella and him together flashed through his mind. After a couple of seconds Shane came back to his proper judgment and lowered his gun. Shane turned around and saw Annabella staring at him.

"Jesus Christ." She said not believe what she just witnessed. Shane looked away and let out a nervous chuckle.

"I know. Gonna have to start wearing reflective vests out here." Shane said. He looked at her again. "Seriously."

"Did you two get an argument?" Annabella asked. "Lori told me that she told Rick about us."

"Nah." Shane said. "We just had a small discussion on how there is no us, there was no us, and there won't ever be an us."

"Keep lying to yourself." Annabella muttered before turning around. She headed back to the camp. She walked over where the others were and sat next to Lori.

"How'd it go?" Lori asked her.

"Just peachy." Annabella said as the two men returned from the woods. Glenn came up behind her and placed his hand on the back of her chair.

"I've been, uh— I've been thinking about Rick's plan." Shane began to say. "Now look, there are no— there are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first one to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you that agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"

**{The next morning}**

"Everybody listen up." Shane said grabbing everyone's attention. Annabella stood between Shane and Rick while the rest of the group faced them. "Those of you with C.B.s, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a C.B., can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"

"We're, uh..." Morales began to say as he grabbed everyone's attention. "We're— we're not going."

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with out people." His wife told them.

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back." Annabella told them.

"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family." Morales told them.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"We talked about it. We're sure."

"Alright." Rick said as he looked as his niece. "Annabella."

"Yeah, all right." Annabella replied as she opened the bag she had been holding. It was filled with weapons and ammo.

".357?" Rick asked her.

"Yeah." Annabella said. The two walked over and handed Morales the gun and ammo. "The box is half full."

"Thank you all... for everything." Morales' wife said as Lori hugged her. Everyone said goodbye to the Morales family.

"Channel 40 If you change your minds." Rick told Morales. He nodded.

"What makes you think our odds are any better?" Shane asked Rick.

"Come on. Let's go. Let's move out." Shane told everyone. Annabella got into the drivers seat of her car. Glenn got in the passengers seat. They looked at each other and smiled before she turned on the car.

"Don't you think you should have gone with Jim?" Glenn asked as they drove behind Shane. "You're the one with the medical expertise here."

"I don't think... never mind."

"What you don't think he'll live?"

"Honestly, I don't. The virus has most likely already spread through out his body."

~0~

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose." Dale told Rick. "I said I needed the one from the cube van."

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked as Annabella stood beside Glenn.

"That's all its been so far. It's more duct tape than hose." Dale answered. "And I'm out of duct tape."

"I see something up ahead." Shane said as he put down his binoculars. "A gas station if we're lucky."

"Guys it's Jim—" Jacqui said as she rushed off the RV. "It's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead see what I can bring back." Shane told him as Jacqui got back in the RV.

"Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up." T-Dog said as Annabella went into the RV.

"Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back." Shane told the group before leaving. Annabella looked over Jim.

"We'll be back on the road soon." She told him, knowing there was not much she could do.

"Oh no. Christ." Jim begged. "My bones— my bones are like glass. Every little bump— god, this rides killing me. Leave me here. I'm done. Just leave me. I want to be with my family."

Annabella crouched down next to him, "Jim, do you even know what your asking? You're family is dead. The fever has made you delirious."

"I'm clear now." He told her. "In five minutes I may not be. Annabella, I know what I'm asking. I want this. Leave me here. It'll be on me, not you."

Annabella nodded as she stood back up. She exited the RV just as T-Dog and Shane returned. She walked over to Rick and told him Jim's wish.

"It's what he says he wants." Annabella told the group.

"And he's lucid?" Carol asked her.

"He seems to be." Annabella responded. "Medically speaking I would say yes."

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you and your uncle shut me down, you misunderstood." Dale began to tell her. "I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer."

Shane turned to look at Rick, "We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that."

"I've had to live with it. Things like this happened in the military." Annabella told him. "But in the end you have to understand that it's not your call, either one of yours."

Shane and Rick nodded. They both entered the RV and brought Jim out. They carefully set him against a tree. Annabella watched as everyone quietly said their goodbyes to Jim. Annabella, however, didn't say a goodby but instead gave him a smile and signaled for him to look up at the sky. As he looked up she left and returned to her car. The group drove off again towards their destination.

"We're finally here." Glenn said as everyone exited their cars.

"We would have been here sooner if Annabella didn't need to use the bathroom every 20 minutes." Andrea remarked as they all adjusted their weapons.

Annabella glared at her, "Well I'm sorry for having a small bladder."

The two stoped arguing once they saw the scene around them. Dead people and walkers lay around the whole building. The smell was so strong it caused Annabella to vomit.

"All right, everybody. Keep moving. Go on." Shane told the group as they walked towards the entrance. "Stay quiet. Let's go."

"Okay. Keep moving, stay together." Rick told the group.

Annabella turned around and saw Carol and Sophia lagging behind. "Keep moving. Come on."

"Keep it together. Come on." Rick said as they arrived to the entrance. Shane and Rick rattled the shutters.

"Nothing?" Lori asked.

"There's nobody here." T-Dog said as Shane banged on the shutters.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asked.

"Walkers!" Daryl exclaimed causing Sophia and Carl to begin to cry. Daryl shot the closet walker. He turned around and rushed towards Rick angrily. "You led us into a graveyard!"

"He made a call." Annabella told him as Shane made his way towards Daryl.

"It was the wrong damn call!" Daryl shouted making the kids more afraid.

Shane pushed him back, "Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!"

Shane then walked over to his friend, "Rick this is a dead end."

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked.

"Do you hear me?" Shane asked. "No blame."

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark." Lori told her husband. Annabella cocked her gun as she saw more walkers approaching.

"Fort Benning, Rick— still an option." Shane told him.

"On what? No food, no fuel. That's 100 miles." Andrea commented.

"125. Annabella and I checked the map." Glenn corrected.

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now!" Annabella stated as Carl cried louder.

"Well think of something." Rick assured his niece.

"Come on, let's go." People began to say. "Let's get of here."

"Let's go. Please." Shane said as he gently placed his hand on Annabella's back and pushed her forward.

"Alright, Everybody back to the cars. Let's go move." Shane ordered everyone.

"The camera—" Rick called out. "It moved."

"You imagined it." Dale told him.

"It moved." Rick repeated as he stared at the camera. "It moved."

"Rick, it's dead." Shane told him. "It's an automatic device. It's got gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on."

Shane attempted to pull Rick away from the shutters, "Man, just listen to me. Look around this place. It's dead, okay? It's dead. You need to let it go, Rick."

Rick began to bang on the shutters. Lori yelled at her husband, "Rick, there's nobody here!

"I know you're in there. I know you can here me." Rick said to the camera. Shane turned around and shook his head towards Annabella.

"Everyone get back to the cars now!" Annabella ordered them.

"Please, We're desperate." Rick began to beg. "Please help us. We have women, children, hardly any gas left."

Annabella began to shoot walkers that were near, ignoring her uncle. Shane and Lori attempted to pull Rick back, "Your killing us! You're killing us!"

The shutters suddenly began to open, revealing a blinding light. Everyone turned around, as just a bit of hope seeped into their hearts.


	11. Everyone’s a little tipsy

"Daryl, cover the back." Shane ordered as the doors unlocked. Everyone carefully entered the building.

"Hello? Hello?" Rick called out.

"Close the doors." Annabella ordered Daryl as the others looked around. "Watch for walkers."

"Anybody infected?" A man called from the top of the stairs. He had his rifle pointed at the group.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it." Rick answered.

"Why are you here? What do you want?"

"A chance." Rick told him.

"That's asking an awful lot these days."

"I know."

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

"We can do that." Rick affirmed. The man put his weapon down.

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once the door closes it stays closed." He told everyone. The men left and quickly returned with everyone's belongings.

"Rick Grimes." Rick introduced himself after the man closed up the front entrance.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner." He introduced himself. The group then followed him into an elevator.

Daryl turned to look at Jenner, "Doctors always go around packing heat like that?"

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you all look harmless enough." He answered he then noticed Carl. "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

"Are we underground?" Carol asked as they followed Jenner down the hallway.

"Are you claustrophobic?"

"A little."

"Try not to think about it."

"VI, bring up the lights in the big room." Jenner ordered as they entered the big room. The room instantly lit up revealing all the computers. "Welcome to zone 5."

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" Rick asked.

"I'm it. It's just me here."

"What about the person you were speaking with?" Lori asked him. "VI?"

"VI, say hello to our guests. Tell them... welcome."

"Hello, guests. Welcome."

"I'm all that's left. I'm sorry." Jenner apologized as he noticed some of their disappointed faces. He then led everyone into a smaller room and began taking everyone's blood.

"What's the point? If we were infected we'd all be running a fever." Andrea questioned as Jenner took her blood.

"I've already broke every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough." He pulled out the syringe and sealed the blood.

"All done." He announced as she got up. He noticed Andrea begin to stumble. "Are you okay?"

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have" Annabella answered as Jacqui helped Andrea.

~0~

"Not you, Glenn." Daryl told him.

"What?" Glenn asked.

"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get." Daryl said causing the men to laugh. Rick noticed Jenner sitting on his own. He got up and clanked his glass.

"It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly."

"He is more than just our host." T-Dog said as everyone cheered for Jenner.

"So when you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, Doc?" Shane asked, "All the— the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened. Where are they?"

"Were celebrating, Shane. We don't need to do this now." Annabella said as she set her wine down.

"Whoa, Wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your uncle's move— supposed to find all the answers. Instead we— we found him. Found one man. Why?"

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left, went of to be with their families." Jenner began to explain. "And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted."

"Every last one?" Shane asked.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They... opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea asked.

"I just kept working, hoping to do some good."

"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man." Glenn told Shane as he took a seat next to Annabella. After eating Jenner took everyone to a separate area.

"Most of the facility is powered down including housing, so you'll have to make due here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you'd like. There's a Rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power. The same applies—if you Shower, go easy on the hot water."

Glenn turned to look at Annabella with a smile, "Hot water?"

The first thing everyone did was go take a shower. Annabella let the warm water run down her back as she washed. She turned around to let the water run down her back. As she turned she noticed a calendar hanging on the wall. Her face fell as realization sunk in. Her period was late. Over two months late to be exact.

"Oh, no." Annabella groaned as she slid down the wall. Water continued to pour on her as she began to cry. She was pregnant, so far pregnant that she felt stupid for not realizing it sooner.

What was worse is that she had no choice in the matter. It wasn't like she could abort the child. Not only that but she was alone. Shane had left her. It angered her because she had given him everything. Now she'd have to take care of things on her own.

"Shit." Annabella said as she remembered drinking wine. She turned off the water and put on a robe. She rushed over to the toilet and began forcing herself to throw up.

"I told her not to eat so much." Daryl muttered as he and Glenn heard Annabella vomiting. Glenn stoped in front of her bedroom. He signaled for Daryl to go ahead without him. He entered the room and opened her bathroom door.

"You all right?" Glenn asked as she continued to throw up. She didn't answer. He kneeled down and pulled her hair back as he quietly rubbed her back.

Annabella flushed the toilet as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She stood up and cleaned her mouth at the sink. Glenn watched as she started to cry again.

"Hey, whats wrong?" He asked her.

"Everything. Everything is wrong."

"Why? What happened?"

"Glenn...I'm pregnant."

"Holy shit." Glenn said. He carefully wrapped his arms around her. "It's all going to be okay."

"Seriously, Glenn?" Annabella said as she pulled away from Glenn. "There's nothing left. It's only Jenner, and I doubt he has anything figured out."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to give up. I mean look at this place. You can safely have a baby here." Glenn told her. "You— you just have to tell Shane."

"I don't know if I should."

"You should. He has every right to know." Glenn told her. Annabella nodded.

"This stays between us, for now." Annabella told him. "I'm gonna— I'm gonna go get some rest."


	12. Confessions

_ "Bella, I'm so sorry!" Shane exclaimed as he jumped into the drivers seat. He slammed the door closed and quickly turned on the car. Annabella began sobbed as Shane sped out the hospitals parking lot.  _

_ "I tried to get him out, I swear! But it was too late he was gone!" Shane cried out as he swerved past walkers.  _

_ "What am I supposed to tell Lori?!" _

"Rick, can I talk to you?" Shane asked from his room as Rick passed Dale in the hallway. Rick nodded and entered Shane's room. Shane closed the door behind him. The two settled down onto the black leather couch. 

"I don't know how to put this so I'm just going to be honest." Shane told his friend. Rick nodded. "When Annabella first started to job shadow me, I did it because you and Chris asked me for the favor. After some weeks I realized that she had a crush on me—"

"Shane, where are you going with this?"

"Just listen, man. Annabella's crush isn't just a crush. It's real. During these past years I've come to notice what a wonderful woman she is."

"Shane."

"Brother, let me finish. After these past near death experiences we've had recently I've come to accept the fact that how I feel for her is real too."

"You saying your in love with my niece? What exactly are you getting at, Shane?"

"Rick, your my best friend and Chris is someone I respected a lot. That's why I want to tell you that—"

"Shane—"

"I'm crazy about your niece, Rick. Even though she's an adult—"

"Shane—"

"I still feel like I need to get your permission—"

"Permission for what, Shane? You're my best friend, my brother. And she's my niece. She's the only thing I left of my brother. The answer is no."

"Rick—"

"No," Rick said as he stood up. He made his way towards the door. "The answer will always be no."

"Carl, Lori said you have to go to bed." Annabella told him as Carol and Sophia began to leave. Carl nodded and followed the two out. 

"You coming?" Carol asked. 

"No, I'm going to browse a bit." Annabella told her as she walked over to the book shelves. She pulled out a pregnancy book and skimmed through the pages. She stoped at week 12 noticing that around this time a pregnant belly starts to show. She has a week to tell Shane before her belly begins to tell everyone. She closed the book and put it back in place. 

The sound of a door closing startled her. She turned around and saw a drunk Shane leaning against the door frame. Annabella let out a long sigh, "You scared me."

"I'm gonna tell you a few things, and you're gonna listen to me." Shane said as he held onto a bottle of tequila. 

Annabella rolled her eyes, "I don't want to."

"Come on. When do you?" Shane said as he began to walk to the center of the room. Annabella walked towards the door but Shane side stepped in front of her. "How can you treat me like this?" 

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. Huh-uh."

"Because you told me you were only with me for the sex. Not only that but you lied to me and said that my uncle was dead."

"Jesus, Bella." Shane said as she began to walk towards the other door. "I didn't lie to you about your uncle. You know that as well as I do. We were both there. You saw when the military came to the hospital and began shooting everyone."

Shane slammed the door shut. Annabella narrowed her eyes at him, "So you're confirming that you left him."

"Everybody else ran. There were no doctors there. It was just me. He was hooked up to machines and I did not know what to do. I even took my ear and I put it on his chest and I listened for a heartbeat and I didn't not hear one. And I-I-I-I— I don't know why. Maybe it was gunfire. I don't know what it was, but there's no way he could've survived that. Now way." Shane exclaimed as he slammed his hand against the door. 

"But he did."

"Yeah, but then I had y'all to think about didn't I?" Shane asked as he backed her up against a table. "I had you and I needed to think about—"

"Okay." Annabella said as she tried to calm him down. 

"I had to get all three of you safe to Atlanta. That's what I had to do. Just stop." Shane said as he prevented Annabella from moving away. "If you thought for one second you would understand that I broke up with you because of him. Because I know my friendship with him is important despite my feelings for you. But I don't care anymore what Rick and Lori think..."

"You can't just—"

"I love you."

"No, Shane you're drunk. Let's talk when you're sober."

"And I know you love me too despite everything I said to you that day."

"Shane, no. Shane."

"Because there is no way you would have cried the way you did and cared for me as long as you have if it were just a little crush." Shane said as he tried to kiss her. Annabella moved her head away from him but her grabbed her chin. 

"Shane, you're drunk. Shane. Shane!"

"Just— okay, stop. Listen, you love me." Shane said as he forced a kiss on her. 

"Get your hands off me. Get your hands off of me." Annabella ordered as Shane moved his hand under her robe. 

"I love you."

"Please! No!" Annabella began to shout as Shane attempted fondling her between the legs to satisfy her. 

"I love you. I love you so much."

"I said stop!" Annabella shouted as she pushed his head to the side so hard that she clawed his skin. Shane stepped back, startled at what he had done. The door swung open revealing Daryl. 

"Everything alright in here?" Daryl asked the two. Shane tried looking at Annabella but she avoided his gaze. He picked up the bottle of tequila he had dropped and left the room.Annabella put her hand over her mouth as she tried not to cry. 

"You okay?" Daryl asked her. He watched as she turned her back to him and began to sob. "You should stay the night with Glenn. That way you won't have to worry about someone sneaking in."

"Annabella, just the person I was looking for." Jenner said as Annabella exited the recreational room. 

"You Alright?" He asked as he noticed her unsettled state. She gave a slight nod. 

"Come with me. I have something I need to talk to you about." Annabella followed him into his office. She sat down in front of his desk. 

"I've looked at all the blood tests and noticed something." Jenner began to tell her. She tensed up already knowing what it was about. He noticed her reaction. "Looks like you already know."

"I-I came to notice just a couple of hours ago." Annabella let out a slight chuckle. "I'm so stupid, aren't I?"

"No. You're situation is understandable. With everything going on it's no surprise you haven't noticed till now." 

"Am I- Am I the only one?"

"Yes. Were you hoping to have a pregnancy buddy?"

"No, I just- I was just hoping I wasn't the only stupid one to get pregnant at a time like this."

Jenner chuckled, "You're not stupid. Just don't get to excited about the baby."

"I'm not. Doc, did you bring me in here to make me feel worse than I already do?"

"No, I brought you in here so you wouldn't get your hopes up. You never know what could happen."

"You're right." Annabella said as she got up. She left the office and headed towards her room. After grabbing her belongings she walked to the room next to her and knocked on the door. The door slowly opened. 

"Hey, everything alright?" Glenn asked. 

"Can I sleep with you?"

"S-sleep with me?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Of course, of course." Glenn said as she stepped into his room. "I'll take the couch."

"How did he take the news?" Glenn asked as she put her things down next to his. Annabella stayed quiet as she stood back up. "You didn't tell him?!"

"Glenn, I couldn't. Not when he's in that disgusting drunken state." Annabella said as she struggled to hold back her tears. 

"Then talk to him tomorrow. This is something big. And he needs to know before Rick and Lori find out."

"I just need some time."


	13. Didn’t come for the eggs

"Eggs. Powdered, but I do 'em good. I bet you can't tell." T-Dog said as he placed some eggs on Annabella's plate. Glenn groaned on her left as she rubbed his back. T-Dog then placed some eggs on Glenn's plate. "Protein helps the hangover."

"Where'd all this come from?" Rick asked as he held up some meds.

"Jenner." Lori replied.

Rick handed her the bottle, "Could you help me, please?"

"He thought we could use it."

"Thank you." Rick said as Lori handed him the open bottle.

"Some of us at least." Lori finished as she looked at Glenn.

"Bella, don't ever ever ever let me drink again." Glenn told her as Shane walked in.

"Hey." He greeted.

"Hey." Rick awkwardly greeted back. Annabella stared down at her plate as she avoided making eye contact with him. Shane began to walk towards the empty seat next to her. Daryl, however, beat him to it. Shane walked past her and towards the food bar. Rick looked at his friend and hoped that last night was just Shane being drunk. "Feel as bad as I do?"

"Worse."

"The hell happened to you?" T-Dog asked as he noticed the claw marks on Shane's face. "Your neck?"

"I must have done it in my sleep." Shane answered as he sat down at the dinning table.

"Never seen you do that before." Rick commented.

"Me neither." Shane said. He looked towards Annabella. "Not like me at all."

Annabella looked over and quickly turned back around as she noticed him staring. She finished her eggs and grabbed some more bacon. She then grabbed some syrup and pored it on the bacon strips. Glenn looked at her plate, "That's disgusting."

"It's good." Annabella stated as she stuck a bacon strip in her mouth. She watched as Glenn places some more eggs on her plate.

"Eat up." He said as he gave her a pat on the back. "You need it."

"Morning." Jenner greeted as we walked in. Everyone greeted him back.

"Doctor, I don't mean to slam you with questions first thing—"

"But you will anyway." Jenner finished for Dale.

"We didn't come here for the eggs." Andrea told him. He nodded.

"Alright, come with me to the big room." Jenner told them. Annabella filled her plate up with more food before following after them. Dale stared at her as she ate her food while following them.

"What?" She asked. Dale just shook his head as they arrived to the big room.

"Give me a playback of TS-19." Jenner ordered. The big screen turned on. VI began to speak, "Playback of TS-19."

"Few people ever got a chance to see this." Jenner told the group as the screen finished loading. "Very few."

"Is that a brain?" Carl asked.

"An extraordinary one." Jenner answered. "Not that it matters in the end. Takes us in for E.I.V.."

"Enhanced internal view." Vi announced as the screen changed. The inside of the brain could now be seen. Blue lights sparked all around.

"What are those lights?" Shane asked.

"It's a persons life— experiences, memories. It's everything. Somewhere in all that organic wiring, all those ripples of light, is you— the thing that makes you unique. And human."

"You don't make sense ever?" Daryl questioned.

"This are synapses, electric impulses in the brain that carry all the messages. They determine everything a person says, does or thinks from the moment of birth to the moment of death."

"Death? That's what this is, a vigil?" Rick asked him.

"Yes. Or rather the playback of the vigil."

"So this person died?" Annabella asked. "Who?"

"Test subject 19. Someone who was bitten and infected... and volunteered to have us record the process. Vi, scan forward to the first event."

"Scanning to first event." Vi announced as the computer screen changed. The side of the persons brain could be seen.

"What is that?" Glenn asked.

"It invades the brain like meningitis. The adrenal glands hemorrhage, the brain goes into shutdown, then the major organs." Jenner explained as the brain went dark. "Then death. Everything you ever were or ever will be... gone."

"She lost somebody two days ago." Lori told Jenner as he noticed Andrea tear up. "Her sister."

"I lost somebody too. I know how devastating it is." Jenner told her. He then told Vi, "Scan to the second event."

"Scanning to second event." Vi announced.

"The resurrection times vary wildly. We had reports of it happening in as little as three minutes. The longest we heard of was eight hours. In the case of this patient, it was two hours, one minute... seven seconds." Jenner explained. The brain slightly lit up.

"It restarts the brain?" Lori asked.

"No, that's just the brain stem." Annabella told her. "Basically, it gets them up and moving."

"But they're not alive?" Rick asked.

"You tell me." Jenner said as he signaled towards the screen.

"It's nothing like before. Most of that brain is dark."

"Dark, lifeless, dead." Jenner said. "The frontal lobe, the neocortex, the human part— that doesn't comeback. The You part. Just a shell. Driven by mindless instinct."

"God. What was that?" Carol asked as someone shot the brain.

"He shot his patient in the head." Andrea told her. "Didn't you?"

"Vi, power down the main screen and the workstations." Jenner ordered.

"Powering down main screen and workstations." Vi said as the power shut off.

"You have no idea what it is, do you?" Andrea then asked.

"It could be microbial, viral, parasitic, fungal."

"Or the wrath of God?" Jacqui questioned.

"There is that."

"Somebody most know something. Somebody somewhere." Andrea said.

"There are others, right? Other facilities?" Carol asked.

"There maybe some. People like me."

"But you don't know? How can you not know?" Rick questioned.

"Everything went down. Communications, directives— all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month."

"So it's not just here. There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing?" Andrea remarked. "That's what you're really saying, right?"

"Man, I'm gonna get shit faced drunk, again." Daryl said as Annabella took a seat.

"Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but... that clock— it's counting down. What happens at zero?" Dale asked.

"The basement generators— they run out of fuel."

"And then?" Rick asked. Jenner ignored him and began to leave the room. "Vi, what happens when the power runs out?"

"When the power runs out facility wide decontamination will occur."

Rick, Annabella, Glenn, and Shane quickly headed down to the basement. Glenn asked, "Decontamination— What does that even mean?"

"I don't like the way Jenner cleaned up." Shane commented. "The way he just wondered off like that."

"He's hiding something, that's for sure." Annabella said as they entered the basement. Annabella flicked on the lights.

"Check that way." Rick told Annabella and Glenn. "Shane."

Annabella followed Glenn around the empty basement. They noticed empty barrels. Glenn stopped and looked at her, "Are you going to tell him?"

"No, I haven't had the chance to." Annabella answered.

"Bella, you have to tell—" Glenn stoped mid sentence as the room went dark. The two ran back to Rick and Shane.

"Hey, you guys kill the lights?" Glenn asked.

"Nah, it just went out." Shane answered.

"Anything?" Rick asked his niece.

"Just a lot of dead generators and empty fuel drums."

"It can't be down to that just one." Shane said. The four headed back up towards the big room. The four ran into the room just as the rest of the group did.

"Rick?" Lori questioned. Rick signaled for her to wait.

"Jenner, what's happening?" Rick asked.

"The system is dropping all the nonessential uses of power. It's designed to keep the computers running to the last possible second. That's started as we approached the half-hour mark. Right on schedule." Jenner told them. He took a swing of alcohol and handed it back to Daryl. "It was the French."

"What?"

"They were the last once's to hold out as far as I know. While our people were bolting out the doors and committing suicide in the hallways, they stayed in the labs till the end. They thought they were close to a solution."

"What happened?"

"The same thing that's happening here. No power grid. Ran out of juice. The world runs on fossil fuel. I mean, how stupid is that!"

"Let me tell you—"

"To hell with it, Shane. I don't even care." Rick said. He turned to look at his wife, "Lori, grab our things. Everybody, get your stuff. We're getting out of here, now!"

An alarm stared blaring, stopping everyone. Shane looked up surprised. Annabella looked at Jenner, "What was that?"

"30 minutes to decontamination." Vi announced.

"Doc, what's going on here?" Daryl asked.

"Everybody, y'all heard Rick. Get your stuff and let's go! Go now! Go!" Shane ordered. The doors locked stopping everyone from leaving.

"Did you just lock us in?" Glenn asked. "He just locked us in!"

"You son of a bitch!" Daryl shouted as he rushed towards Jenner.

"Daryl, stop it!" Annabella shouted as she grabbed him just in time and pulled him away.

"Hey Jenner, open that door now." Rick ordered as he approached Jenner.

"There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed."

"Well, open the damn things." Daryl ordered.

"That's not something I control. The computers do. I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that. It's better this way."

"What is? What happens in 28 minutes?" Rick asked. Jenner ignored him. "What happens in 28 minutes?!"

"Do you know what this place is?!" Jenner shouted as he jumped out of his chair. "We protected the public from very nasty stuff! Weaponized smallpox! Ebola strays that could wipe out half the country! Stuff you don't want getting out! Ever!"

Jenner sat back down in his chair as the group looked at each other astonished at what he said. Jenner took a deep breath, "In the event of a catastrophic power failure— in a terrorist attack, for example— H.I.T.'s are deployed to prevent any organisms from getting out."

"H.I.T.s?" Rick questioned.

"Holy shit." Annabella muttered already knowing what that meant. She began to pace back and forth. Rick looked at Jenner, "What does that mean?"

"Vi define."

"H.I.T's— High-impulse thermobaric fuel-air explosives consist of a two stage aerosol ignition that produced a blast wave of significantly greater power and duration than any other know explosive except nuclear. The vac-pressure effect ignited the oxygen at between 5,000 and 6,000 degrees and is useful when the greatest loss of life and damage to structures is desired."

"It sets the air on fire." Annabella said in simpler terms. Shane wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly from behind. He looked over at Rick, he nodded knowing that this could be their last moments together.

"No pain," Jenner began to say. "An end to sorrow, grief... regret. Everything."


	14. A choice, a chance

"Open the damn door!" Daryl shouted as the men continued to try opening the door.

"Out of my way!" Shane shouted as he ran to the door with an axe. Annabella threw an axe to Daryl. He caught it and began to help Shane hit the door.

"You should have left well enough alone. It would have been so much easier?" Jenner told Annabella.

"Easier for who?" She asked with annoyance. Rick approached the group of women and children that were with Jenner.

"All of you. You know what's out there— A short brutal life and an agonizing death." Jenner said, he then turned to look at Andrea. "Your— your sister— what was her name?"

"Amy."

"Amy. You know what this does. You've seen it." He turned to look at Rick. "Is that really what you want for your wife and son?"

"I don't want this." Rick emphatically said to him.

"Can't make a dent." Shane said as he leaned against the counter. Daryl was still banging on the door with an axe.

"Those doors are designed to withstand a rocket launcher." Jenner told him, Daryl came running towards him with the axe.

"Well, your head ain't!" Daryl shouted.

"Whoa, whoa!" Rick exclaimed as the men struggled to hold him back.

"Daryl! Daryl, stop!" Annabella shouted as she helped push him back, "Just back up!"

"You do want this." Jenner said to Rick as he stood up. "Last night you said you knew it was just a matter of time before everybody you loved was dead."

Rick looked over at his family. Annabella shook her head in disappointment as she stepped away from him. Shane looked over at him, "What? You really said that? After all your big talk?"

"I had to keep hope alive, didn't I?" Rick said as he stared at his wife.

"There is no hope. There never was." Jenner told him.

"There's always hope. Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here, but somebody somewhere—"

"What part of 'everything is gone' do you not understand?" Andrea interrupted Rick.

"Listen to your friend. She gets it." Jenner said. "This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event."

"This isn't right." Carol cried. "You can't just keep us here."

Glenn grabbed Annabella's hand and whispered, "You should tell him now before this is all over."

"What's the point? It's not going to change anything." Annabella whispered in response. "We're all gonna die anyways."

"My daughter doesn't deserve to die like this." Carol continued to cry. Frustrated with everything. Shane grabbed his rifle.

"Wouldn't it be kinder? More compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down." Jenner questioned. Shane cocked his rifle and rushed towards Jenner.

"Shane, no!"

"Out of the way, Rick! Stay out of my way!" Shane shouted as he pointed the rifle at Jenner. "Open that door or I'm gonna blow your head off. Do you hear me?!"

Annabella grabbed Carl and Lori and pulled them away from the scene. Rick leaned in towards Shane, "Brother, brother, this is not the way you do this. We will never get out of here."

"Shane, you listen to him." Annabella ordered.

"It's too late." Shane responded.

"He does, we all— " Rick said as Shane began to scream at the top of his lungs. "— we all die!"

"Shane!" Annabella shouted as she began to run towards him. He stared to shoot at the computers.

"Annabella, get down!" Glenn shouted as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. He pushed her down and covered her with his body. The shooting stopped. Glenn moved off of Annabella and helped her up. She watched as Rick hovered over Shane while holding his rifle.

"You done now?" Rick asked. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, I guess we all are." Shane responded. Rick turned around and walked over to Annabella. He placed the rifle in her hands as he continued to pant.

"I think you're lying." Rick told Jenner after a long moment of silence.

"What?"

"You're lying about no hope. If that were true, you'd have bolted with the rest or taken the easy way out. You didn't. You chose the hard path. Why?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does matter. It always matters. You stayed when the others ran. Why?"

"Not because I wanted to. I made a promise..." Jenner said as he stood up. He pointed at the blank big screen. "To her. My wife."

"Test subject 19 was your wife?" Lori asked.

"She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no?" Jenner asked as Daryl began to bang on the door again. "She was dying. It should've been me on that table. It wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just... Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me."

"Your wife didn't have a choice. You do. That's— that's all we want— a choice, a chance." Rick told him.

"Let us keep trying as long as we can." Lori begged.

Jenner sighed as walked to a padlock, "I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those."

"Come on!" Daryl called out as the doors unlocked.

"Come on, let's go!" Glenn shouted as Annabella followed after him. The group stopped as they notice Rick and Jenner talking. "Hey, we've got four minutes left! Come on!"

"Let's go. Let's go." T-Dog told Jaique.

"No. No, I'm staying." She said as she pulled away from him. Everyone stared at her surprised. "I'm staying, sweetie."

"But that's insane!"

"No, it's completely sane. For the first time in a long time. I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy. There's no time to argue and no point, not if you want to get out. Just get out. Get out."

Glenn grabbed Annabella's wrist and began pulling her away, "Come on Bell, we have to go now!"

As the men left to open the topside, the women and children went to get all their belongings. Annabella rushed into the room and grabbed her bag along with Glenn's. She ran upstairs where then guys were.

"Rick, I have something that might help." Carol said as she arrived with Annabella and the other women and children.

Shane glanced over at Carol, "Carol, I don't think a nail file is going to do it."

"Your first morning at camp, when I washed your uniform I found this in your pocket." Carol said as she pulled something out of her bag. It was a grenade.

"Look Out!" Rick shouted towards everyone as he grabbed the grenade. Everyone immediately got down. After a couple of seconds Rick began to run towards the group. "Get down! Get down!"

The glass shattered as the grenade exploded. The group quickly got up and ran out through the window. Annabella, Rick, Daryl, and Shane ran in front of everyone. As walkers approached they quickly got rid of them to clear a path for the others. Annabella and Glenn quickly got into her car. They watched as Dale and Andrea exited the building.

"Get down, Glenn!" Annabella ordered. They both laid on the floor of the car as the building blew up. The two slowly sat back up as the sound quieted. Glenn rolled down the window and yelled towards Dale and Andrea, "Come on. Come one. Get in, get in, get in, get in!"

The two quickly got into her car. Annabella turned on her car and began to lead the caravan away from the CDC.


	15. The Vato’s Place

"How's Shane?" Glenn asked over the walkie.

"He's alright, thanks to Daryl." Lori answered. Earlier Daryl kept honking and hollering that Shane's car had run out of fuel. Walkers were running after Shane as he tried catching up to the group. Rick turned the RV around and grabbed him.

After a couple of minutes Rick said over the walkie talkie, "We're going to the nursing home where Guillermo is."

"Got it." Glenn responded.

"Why are we going with the people that took you hostage?" Annabella asked Glenn as they followed behind the RV.

"You didn't see the way Rick handled things." Glenn told her. She glanced at him, still skeptical. Glenn let out a chuckle, "Their our friends! They'll take us in."

After an hour or two of driving the group arrived to their destination. The group exited their vehicles with their weapons in hand.

"Bet they're barely holding on." Andrea commented as they walked towards the nursing home. "What makes you think they'll take in strangers?"

"With all those guns we gave 'em they'll probably throw us a party." Daryl responded. He then looked at Rick, "Good call... for once."

The group hoped in through the entrance and began looking around. Glenn looked at Rick confused, "Where are the look outs?"

"Oh, son of a bitch!" Shane muttered as the group noticed walkers in the area. They were busy eating dead bodies. The walkers began to get up, noticing their presence. The group pointed their weapons at the walkers as they got closer.

"To hell with the noice." Rick said as he began to shoot walkers. The others followed suit and quickly shot them down. The women, excluding Annabella, and the children got up from their hiding position. "Come on, follow me!"

Annabella and the other men entered the building first, looking around everyone corner. The others followed in behind them. Sophia began to cry as she noticed all the dead bodies. Daryl turned around and glared at her.

"Put a sock in it!" Daryl sneered.

"You leave her alone." Carol said.

"You shut her up or I will!"

"Back the hell off! Now!" Annabella snapped at him. Daryl let out a deep breath before turning back around.

"Are we staying or going?" Lori asked her husband.

"We don't have the fuel." He answered.

"We honker down for the night." Shane told the group. "Okay Rick, you, me and Daryl are going to sweep the building. Make sure we're alone."

Rick looked Annabella, "You keep watch while the others barricade the doors."

As the three men left the others returned to the entrance of the building. Annabella cocked her gun as she began to keep look out. Andrea and T-Dog started to place a table against the entrance.

"Walker! Get down!" Annabella ordered. Everyone quickly got down and hid from the walker. Annabella leaned against the wall next to the door. She signaled for the group to stay quiet as she pulled out her danger.

Once she heard the walker close enough she turned toward the door and stabbed the walker straight in the skull. The walker stoped moaning and collapsed on the ground as Annabella took her dagger out. She turned to the group and mouthed, 'let's go.'

The group followed Annabella toward where the three men where. They entered a pair of double doors into a large room.

"Upstairs is our best bet." Rick told the group. "We've cleared a few rooms. We can barricade those if we have to. We'll be alright."

"You mean it this time? Or are you lying to us like the times before?" Carol questioned as she held Sophia in her lap.

"That's unfair, and no help at all." Lori said protecting her husband.

"The hell happened?" Glenn questioned, still not believing the state of the nursing home.

"What do you think? They got over run." Andrea said causing Daryl to scoff. She turned to look at him, "Something to say?"

"Yeah, how 'bout 'observant'." Daryl answered.

"Observant. Big word from a guy like you. Three whole syllables." Andrea remarked.

"Walkers didn't do this. Geeks didn't show up till all this went down. Somebody attacked this place. Killed all these people, took whatever they wanted." Daryl explained. Rick kneeled down and looked at one of the bodies. "They're all shot in the head, execution style. Y'all worried about walkers? I'd be much more worried about the people that came and did all this."

Daryl then looked at Andrea, "Get a dictionary. Look it up, 'observant'"

Annabella stifled a laugh as Daryl exited the room. Andrea narrowed her eyes at her. Annabella laughed, "Damn, he sure put you in your place."

  
  


~0~

"We ransacked the kitchen." Shane said as he and Rick entered the room. "All we found was one can."

"They got the dispensary too. Tore the door off it's hinges. They took everything except for this." Rick said as he threw a small box at Lori. She caught it and stared at the box.

"So we came back to cough drops and garbanzo beens." Daryl said as he looked at the can.

"Is there any water?" Sophia asked the adults. Shane opens his bag and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Just one bottle I brought." He told her as he handed her the bottle. "Take a few sips, make it last. Gotta go for everybody, okay?"

"What else you got in there?" Andrea asked him as Glenn sat down next to Annabella.

Shane pulled out a bag of chips and shook it, "Salty snacks."

"Courtesy of the CDC," Shane said as he slid the bag towards Annabella. She grabbed the bag and opened it. "Thought I'd be having midnight snacks in my air conditioning room... now it'll be dinner."

"And um..." Shane said as he pulled out a bottle of wine.

"Is that to share?" Daryl asked with his mouth full.

"Seeing as I owe you my life." Shane said handing him the bottle. "Look, I'm gonna go ahead and be nice to you."

"I do think I earned the first swallow." Daryl said as he opened he bottle.

"Bella, do you need anything?" Glenn whispered next to her.

She shook her head. "No. I'm good."

"Let's go easy on that stuff. Let's not forget where we are." Lori told Daryl.

"Yes ma'am" Daryl responded as he took a sip of the drink. Dale walked over and handed Andrea a plate of food.

"You're alright" Dale assured her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Andrea sarcastically remarked. "I'm spending the night in a building that stinks so badly of rotten bodies I want to vomit out my guts. I'm dinning on condiments and hoping I don't get eaten by cannibal freaks before dawn. What's not to like?"

The group tried not to look at them as they heard everything. Andrea looked Dale right in the eyes, "Thank you, Dale."

Dale quietly got up and left the room to give T-Dog a plate. Lori got up and turned towards Rick, "What's next? We need to decide."

"Fort Benning, Rick" Shane reminded his friend. Rick turned to look at Annabella.

"Fort Benning." Annabella agreed with a small nod.

"I should have listened to you, Shane." Rick said. "Would have saved us a lot of grief if I had. Jacqui would still be alive."

"Her choice, man. Do not take that on."

"It was her choice. It was her decision to make, not yours, no more than it was with Jim." Lori told him.

"All these people..." Glenn began to think out loud. "Who would have done something like this. Just come in here and murder everybody. Even all the old people. How sick is that?"

"That's not something we need to be discussing right now." Annabella told Glenn as Sophia looked uncomfortable.

"Why don't you all start getting some sleep." Shane told them as he signaled for Rick, Annabella, Glenn, and Daryl to go out the room. They exited the room as the others prepared for bed.

"Hey," Annabella said grabbing Glenn's elbow. Daryl closed the door behind them. "The kids in there are terrified, and the women"

"Guys, I'm really sorry." Glenn apologized to them.

"We're all rattled and exhausted. No ones thinking clearly. We have to start. Our lives depend on it." Rick told them as Daryl drank some more.

Shane let out a sigh, "We can't ever let down our guard again."

"Back at camp, having us a fish fry with no one on watch..." Shane said as they walked towards the stairs where Dale and T-Dog were at. "People died."

"They didn't need to." Annabella commented as they all crouched down in a circle.

"Fort Benning, that's the consensus." Rick said to T-Dog and Dale.

"Anywhere but here." T-Dog responded.

"We're wasting fuel, driving so many vehicles." Annabella told them. "We need to lose a few."

Rick nodded, "We'll siphon the gas of whatever cars we don't take. Should get us free of the city."

"It'd be a start." Shane agreed. "Let's just try get a little shut eye tonight, okay?" He turned towards T-Dog, "T, I'll spare you in an hour."

Annabella and the others got up and began to walk back toward where the women and children were. Annabella walked behind the others as Shane was the only one behind her. He reached out and tried to grab her wrist. She flinched causing him to instantly pull his hand back. She turned to look at him with a disappointed look in her eyes. He let out a sigh as he walked past her with his head down.


	16. The Only Choice

"How'd Shane take it?" Glenn asked Annabella as they drove between the RV and station wagon.

Annabella let out a sigh, "I haven't told him."

"You still haven't told him?! For god sakes Annabella, you're pregnant!" Glenn exclaimed. "You need to tell him now more than ever. We're not as safe as we were the day before yesterday. You need pregnancy clothes, food, prenatal vitamins.-"

"Glenn, shut up!" Annabella shouted. "Please, just let me drive in peace."

"Annabella, you have to think realistically here. Your stomach is going to start showing at some point. Then what are you going to do?"

"I'll tell him, okay? Just please don't say anything because I don't even know if I want this."

"Do you even have a choice?" He asked her. Their conversation came to a halt as the RV began to slow down. The highway was blocked with multiple cars around them. Some cars containers corpses that let out a terrible smell.

Annabella slammed on the brakes as the RV slightly swerved. Once it stoped Annabella turned off her car. She grabbed her gun and put it in its holder as she got out of the car with Glenn.

"I said it. Didn't I say it?" Dale said as everyone approached the RV. "A thousand times. Dead in the water."

"Problem, Dale?" Annabella asked him.

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere. With no hope of—" Dale stoped talking as he noticed he was surrounded by cars. "Okay, that was dumb."

"If you don't find a radiator hose here..." Shane said.

"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find." Daryl said as he looked through the trunk of a car.

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog said as he walked over to one of the cars.

"Maybe we can find some water and food." Annabella suggested.

"This is a graveyard." Lori told them. They all turned to look at her. She turned towards Rick, "I don't know how I feel about this."

"Come on, y'all. Just look around, gather what you can." Shane ordered the group. Annabella grabbed a near empty bag she had in her car and began to look around.

"I bet there's something's you could get here for the baby." Glenn whispered to her before walking towards Dale. Annabella walked towards Shane who was looking in a grey SUV.

"Bella!" Rick called out, causing them both to turn around. Shane noticed Annabella had been walking towards him. "Why don't you go look on ahead. We have enough people over here."

Annabella nodded as she began to go ahead of the group. She wasn't dumb. She knew that the only reason Rick had told her to go ahead was so that she wouldn't be near Shane. She noticed the car next to her that had two dead corpses inside. A man and a women. There's was also a box of diapers and a very few baby supplies in the back seat. She looked at the women and noticed the bloated stomach it had. She turned her head and closed her eyes as she tried to erase what she just saw.

She began to feel nauseous as she grabbed the few baby supplies they had and stuffed it into her bag. All she managed to grab was a couple of diapers and pacifiers before she began to throw up. Once she finished she grabbed a bottle of water from her bag and rinsed her mouth.

"Get down!" Daryl loudly whispered, surprising her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her down causing the water to spill.

"What are you—"

"Shh!" He said as he pushed her under a car. He slid under the car next to her.

"Walkers are coming." He whispered as the sound of footsteps approached them. He placed his arm around her and pulled her close so they would be more hidden. Annabella was so far ahead of the group that she didn't notice Rick signaling the group to hide. She watched as dozens of feet walked past the car.

Daryl put a finger over his mouth as the feet disappeared. He slid out from under the car and left her alone. Not long after even more feet continued to pass by. She questioned if the others were okay.

Annabella slid towards the middle and turned over on her back. She closed her eyes as she waited for the sound of walkers to disappear. Not long after, Annabella's eyes snapped open as she barely caught a scream in the distance.

She bit her lip, holding back from going out to see. A few Walkers were still walking by her car as she was farther from the group. Once the feet disappeared she waited a bit longer.

"Lori! There's two walkers after my baby!" Annabella heard Carol say as she slid out from under the car. Annabella ran as fast as she could towards the group.

"Where's Rick?!" Annabella asked as she noticed he was gone along with Sophia.

"He went after Sophia." Glenn told her. Annabella moved towards the edge. Glenn pulled her back. She turned to look at him. He shook his head. She let out a sigh. The group patiently waited for Rick and Sophia to return.

~0~

"Lori!" Rick called out as he climbed back up the hill. Everyone turned towards the sound of rustling.

"We're here." She responded as she hopped off the car's hood. Rick quickly climbed up and stood in front of the group. His chest heaved up and down as he looked at them. Annabella looked around him, not seeing Sophia.

"Where's Sophia?" He asked them. Annabella looked down, unsure of how to respond to the situation. "She's not back?"

The group watched as Carol fell down to her knees sobbing. Annabella crouched down and wrapped her arms around Carol. She quietly rubber her back as she looked up at her uncle's uncertain expression.

Annabella stood up, "Where's the last place you saw her?"

"Follow me."

"Daryl, Glenn, Shane follow us." Rick then said as he helped Annabella get down towards the hill. Once they got to the bottom they followed Rick to the location.

"Sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked Rick as the two looked through the creek.

"I left her right here. I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek." Rick answered. Annabella could tel her uncle was nervous.

"Without a paddle— seems where we landed."

"She was gone by the time I got back here. I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder."

"Hey, short round, why don't you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail." Daryl told Glenn.

"Assuming she knows her left from her right." Shane muttered.

"Shane, she understood me fine." Rick responded.

"Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers. Gotta wonder how much of what you said stuck."

"Got clear prints right here." Daryl said grabbing their attention. Rick walked over to him. "She did like you said, and headed back to the highway."

"Let's spread out," Daryl then said as he reach out towards Annabella. She grabbed his hand and pulled him up out of the creak. "Make our way back."

"She couldn't have gone far." Annabella agreed as Shane helped Rick out.

"Hey, we're gonna find her." Shane said as they followed Daryl. "She'll be tuckered out hiding in a bush somewhere."

"She was doing just fine till right here." Daryl said as he crouched down and looked at the trail. "All she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way."

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.

"Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off." Annabella responded.

"A walker?"

Daryl shook his head, "I don't see any other foot prints. Just hers."

"So what are we going to do? Keep following the tracks?" Annabella asked the men.

"No, better if you, Glenn and Shane get back up to the highway. People are going to start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all, keep everybody calm." Rick told them.

"I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied. Come on you two." Shane said. Glenn and Annabella followed him back to the highway.

~0~

"I found something cool." Carl said as he placed down the gerber gear he had found. "Shane, check it out. It's an Arsenal."

"That's cool, bud. Go give 'em to Dale." Shane told him as he fixed a car. He didn't even bother to look at Carl.

"Check this one out." Carl said as he pulled something out. "Whoa, it's a hatchet."

"Be careful don't play with those." Lori told her son.

"They're really sharp."

"What did I just say?"

"Can I keep one?"

"Are you crazy?" Lori said as she took the hatchet from him.

"Shane. Shane, tell her to let me keep one." Carl said. Shane finally turned to look at him.

"Hey, man, go give them all to Dale, now. Go." Shane ordered an aggravated tone. Carl grabbed the stuff and quickly ran off.

"What was that?" Lori asked him as he put the hood down.

"What was what?"

"The way you blew him off just now. You crushed him." Lori said. Shane ignored her and began to put somethings into the car. "I don't believe you. You're giving me the could shoulder?"

"Isn't that what you want? Aren't you the one who said to stay away from Annabella and the rest of your family?"

"So your taking your anger out on a kid?" Lori questioned. She let out a sigh. "Shane, you need to stop this."

"Why do you think I'm prepping my new ride? I'm leaving." He told her.

"Leaving?"

"As in gone for good. Gonna quietly slip away first chance I get."

"With Bella?"

"No, she doesn't know yet." Shane said as he got in the car and turned it on.

"The emergency alarm system has been activated. The office of civil defense has issued the following message: Normal broadcasting will cease immediately. This is a civil emergency."

"Is that a local signal?" Glenn asked as he and Annabella approached Shane and Lori.

"It's got to be within 50 miles of here." Annabella told them.

"Avoid anyone infect at all costs. Remain calm. Help is on the way. The emergency apart system has been activated. The office of civil—"

"Asshole." Shane muttered as she shut off the radio. "Okay, let's get back to work."

~0~

"Everything alright?" Annabella asked as she approached Dale and Andrea who were arguing. Shane also approached them.

"No, I want my gun back." Andrea answered.

"I don't think it's a good idea right now." Dale said.

"Why not?" Shane asked.

"I'm not comfortable with it."

"The truth is, less guns we have floating around camp the better." Annabella told them. Shane nodded in agreement. 

"You turning over your weapon?" Andrea asked with an attitude. Annabella raised an eyebrow.

Shane chuckled, "No, because she's trained in its use. Both of us are. That's what the rest of y'all need is proper training. But until that time I think it's best if Dale keeps them all accounted for."

"Mhm-hmm." Andrea grumbled before turning around and walking away.

"Mind telling us what that's about?" Shane asked.

"Oh god, their back." Glenn said as he set his stuff down. Annabella watched as Rick and Daryl walked over to Carol. She walked over to them.

"You didn't find her?" Carol asked as she began to cry.

"Her trail went cold." Rick answered. "We'll pick it up again at first light."

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods."

"Out in the dark's no good." Daryl told her. "We'd just being tripping over ourselves more people get lost. "

"But she's 12. She cant be out there on her own." Carol said as she turned to look at Rick, "You didn't find anything?"

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there."

"And we tracked her for a while." Daryl told her.

"We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this."

"Is that blood?" Carol asked Daryl as she began to breath heavily.

"We took down a walker." Rick confessed.

"A walker? Oh my god."

"There's no sign it was ever near Sophia."

"How do you know?" Andrea asked. Rick and Daryl looked at each other for a moment.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl told her.

Carol sat down on the rail, "How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?"

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance." Rick said trying to explain himself.

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol." Shane said protecting his best friend.

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a child."

"It was my only option. The only choice I could make."

"Rick, I'm sure nobody doubts that." Annabella told her uncle as she noticed him stressing out.

Carol continued to cry, "My little girl got left in the woods."


	17. Think It Over

"Shane, can I talk to you about something?" Annabella said as he exited the RV. She had finally gotten the courage to talk to him. He looked at her and let out a sigh.

"I don't— I think that's a good idea." Shane said as he looked down. He looked back up at her. "I should go."

"I don't deserve this, Shane. You can't just avoid me." Annabella told him. "Did you forget what happened at the CDC? Did the Rec room incident slip your mind? When you tried—"

"When I tried to what?! What do you think that was?"

"Shane, I think it's pretty obvious what that was."

"A mistake. One that I admit to. I have a few mistakes under my belt, Bella. And what I said— what I did is probably the most selfish thing I've done in my life." Shane said as Rick approached them. The rest of the group followed suit. Shane began to whisper to her, "I told you something that night. Something I should have said first while sober. I'm only gonna say it once so listen good... I love you, Bella, and it's because I love you that I can't be selfish. I don't deserve you but someone like Glenn does. So move on and be happy because I won't be causing problems for you or your family anymore."

"Shane—"

"Everybody takes a weapon." Rick announced as he placed down the weapons Carl had found the day before.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?" Andrea asked.

"We've been over that." Annabella reminded her as she walked over next to Daryl. "Shane, Rick, Daryl, and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles."

"It's not the trees I'm worried about." Andrea snapped.

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, a heard happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us." Shane said, being on Annabella's side. "So you need to get over it."

"The idea is to take the creak up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only land mark." Daryl told the group.

"Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but alway stay within the sight of each other." Rick told the group.

"Everybody assemble your packs." Shane said as he throws a water bottle at Annabella. She caught it and put it in her galaxy blue backpack. She walked over with Glenn to where the cans where and began to put them in her bag.

~0~

  
  


"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells." Shane said as they reached the church. Rick began to run off towards the church, "Rick."

The group ran towards the church and arrived at the entrance. Rick and Daryl stood at the red double doors with Shane and Annabella behind them. Rick gave a signal for the rest of the group to wait. The two pushed the door open revealing four walkers sitting down. They turned around and got up walking towards them. Glenn came from behind and pulled Annabella back by the waist. She stared at him confused as the three men entered the church without her.

"They can take care of it themselves. You should stay back." He told her.

"Glenn, I'm not handicapped." She muttered as she pulled away from him. She pulled out her machete. She walked into the church just in time to kill the last walker.

"What does she mean she's not handicapped?" Lori asked Glenn.

"W-what? Oh I don't know I guess it's her form of expression." Glenn stuttered. Annabella gave the signal for the group to go in.

"Sophia!" Rick shouted as he opened a side door. Shane walked over to Rick.

"I'm telling you it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple, Rick." Shane told him. "There's no steeple."

The bell bang to ring again causing the group the run out. They stoped as Glenn reached a box and turned off the bell.

"A time. It's on a timer." Daryl explained.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol said as she slowly headed back into the church. The group followed suit. Annabella walked over to the side of the church and sat down on the ground. As much as she loved Glenn it felt good to get away from his constant nagging.

"Are you really leaving?" Annabella heard Lori ask. Annabella turned to hear the conversation better.

"Don't you think it's best for all of us?" Shane asked her.

"I think it is. What made you decide?"

"Gotta back way. Just trying to be the good guy here, Lori." Shane said as he avoided bringing up the Rec room incident. "Even if you don't see it. None of this was intended. I hope you know that. Well, it don't matter as long as I said it."

Lori got closer to him. "You're just gonna disappear? You're not even going to tell Bella or Rick?"

"They'd only try to stop me. No, that's on you. You tell them what you want. Or tell them nothing at all. You're their family."

"And Carl? He got so close to you."

"I love Carl."

"He thinks you hate him."

"I'm trying to put some distance. Just as I am with Bella. I'm trying to make this easier. This ain't easy on any of us, least of all me. I'm the one who loses Bella." Shane said. Lori sighed as she heard his last words. She walked off into the church with the others. Shane turned to look at her walk away only to notice Annabella staring at him as she stood at the side of the church.

The two stared at each other. Shane switched his rifle to his other hand and began to walk away. Annabella followed after him.

"I'm coming with you." She told him.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." Shane said as he continued to walk away.

"Shane I'm not stupid and I'm clearly not deaf." She grabbed his elbow and pulled him back. She took a step back away from him. "Look, all I care about is being with you."

"We're gonna sail off into the sunset together? We gonna hold hands? All without telling Rick and Lori?" Shane questioned.

"I'm not asking to get consented marriage, Shane. I'm asking for a chance to start over. Just you and me without having to worry about Rick and Lori breathing down our necks. I'm a grown women."

"Say we do, say we just run off. You're not worried about leaving Glenn?"

"Trust me Shane, Glenn will understand." Annabella said as she let out sigh. She noticed Rick and the others exit the church. She quickly leaned over and gave him a kiss, "Think it over."

Shane walked over towards Rick while Annabella walked towards the group. She watched as the two talked for a moment. Shane walked back towards them.

"Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge." Shane told them. "Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough."

"You're splitting us up, you sure?" Daryl asked as Rick stood next to Shane.

"Yeah, We'll catch up to you."

"I want to stay too." Carl said. "I'm her friend."

"Just be carful, okay?" Lori said giving him permission.

"I will."

"When did you start growing up?" She asked as she gave him a hug. Annabella then looked at Shane as Lori and Rick hugged.

"Tonight." He mouthed. Annabella nodded and began to follow the others.

"Here, take this." Rick said handing his gun to Lori. Annabella took the chance to give Carl a quick hug. "Remember how to use it?"

"I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unarmed." Lori responded.

"Here, I got a spare. Take it." Daryl said handing her a small pistol. The group began to walk away towards the creek. Rick walked over to his niece and gave her a hug. Annabella stared at Shane as she hugged Rick back. Shane gave her a smile. The two separated and Annabella quickly caught up to the others.

"So this It?" Carol asked as she sat down on a log, stopping the group. "This is the whole plan?"

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into a smaller and smaller group." Daryl answered.

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks." Andrea said as she turned to glare at Lori. "I see you have a gun."

"Why you want it?" Lori said pulling it out. "Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me."

Andrea grabbed the gun. Lori continued to speak as she sat down, "All of you." She then looked at Carol, "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Anybody? Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stoping you."

Annabella watched as Andrea handed Lori the pistol back. "We should keep moving."


	18. Jack Of All Trades

_"You should have just gone on the ambulance with him." Shane told Annabella as he drove the patrol car. They were heading towards Carl's school._

_"Lori is my aunt. I need to be there for her. Rick has nurses and doctors looking out for him." Annabella told him as they neared the school._

_"Well, you don't have to worry about anything." Shane said as he used his free hand to hold hers. "I'll tell her."_

_"No, Shane. I'll tell her, she's my family." Annabella said as they approached the school entrance. Annabella turned off the sirens as Shane slowed the car down. Lori could be seen walking towards them. Shane and Annabella exited the car and walked towards her. They tried to control their expressions as they stood in front of her._

_"Is he alive?" Lori asked already having an idea of what was going on._

_"He's in surgery." Annabella said in a calm voice. The school bell rang, reminding them that Carl was about to come out._

_"How?" Lori then asked. Annabella looked at Shane knowing that it'd be best if he said it since he was Rick's partner._

_"There was a radio call that said there was two suspects in a car. But there was a another man. Somebody screwed up...I screwed up." Shane said surprising Annabella with his last words. "I did not see him in time. Lori, it's my fault."_

_"I don't believe that." Lori said as she moved next to Annabella and turned to look at Carl. She put an arm around Annabella's waist as she used her free arm to wave at Carl._

_"What do I say?" Lori asked her niece. "How do I tell your cousin that his father's been shot?"_

_"You don't have to do it alone." Annabella said. Lori shook her head before giving Annabella a tight hug. "Okay."_

_Annabella and Shane watched as Lori walked over to Carl and told him the news. Shane put his arm around Annabella's shoulder and pulled her into a hug, preventing her from seeing Carl cry._

"You still thinking about the gunshot?" Annabella asked her aunt. Lori continued to look behind her. It had only been a couple minutes since the gunshot was heard.

"Why one, Bella? Why just one gunshot?" She asked her niece.

"Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl answered for her.

"Please, don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane they do it quietly."

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol then asked.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway. Can't run around these woods chasing echoes." Daryl told them.

"I'll go." Annabella said grabbing everyone's attention. "I'll go and make sure everything is okay."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Glenn told her.

"I don't care what you think. I'm going. Lori isn't the only one that's worried here. Rick and Carl are my family." Annabella said as she also thought of Shane. Glenn nodded understanding her words.

"Thank you." Lori said as she gave Annabella a hug. Annabella gave her aunt a smile before turning around towards the direction they had come from.

"Anna." Daryl called out. Annabella slightly turned to look at him. "Be careful."

Annabella nodded in response. She turned back around and began speed walking. Once she arrived at the church she looked around and noticed a few foot prints in some wet grass. She quickly ran in that direction until she came across a dead dear.

She stared at it confused. It had a bullet through it but there was no one near who had come to claim it. In the distance she could hear shouting. She followed the sound, as she got closer the words became clearer and she could recognize who it was. It was Rick.

"How far? How far?!"

"Another half mile that way." An unfamiliar voice responded as Annabella got closer. "Hershel. Go to Hershel. He'll help your boy."

"Come on!" Shane shouted as Annabella exited the woods. She watched Shane drag a bigger man forward.

"Shane!" Annabella called out as she ran towards him at full speed. Shane turned around surprised to see her.

"What's going on?" Annabella said once she caught up to the two men.

"This bastard shot Carl while shooting a deer." Shane told her as he continued to push the man along.

"What?! W-where is he?!"

"Up ahead. Go on ahead without.." Shane didn't get to finish his sentence as Annabella had already begun running towards Rick's direction.

"Rick! Rick!" Annabella shouted as she approached a farm. A young women near her age came out of the house.

"The boy's inside!" The women yelled as she pushed her short brown hair back. Annabella ran up the porch and past the women.

"Rick!" Annabella called out again as she entered the foyer. The women grab her elbow and took her into a room where everyone was.

"Annabella!" Rick exclaimed as he saw her niece. He grabbed her by both arms with tears in his eyes. "Please, save him. You have to save him."

Annabella pushed her uncle away she noticed an older man tending to a wounded Carl. She looked around at all their supplies.

"This all you have?" Annabella asked as she pushed the man to side with her hip.

"Someone get me an IV." She ordered before the man could respond.

"Are you a doctor?" The man asked as the young women handed her an IV.

"I was a combat medic." Annabella said as she put the IV inside of Carl. A women beside of her continued to put pressure over his wound. She turned to look at the others. "Give me some space. I can do this on my own."

Rick stood frozen. Hershel put a hand on his shoulder, "Rick, she's gonna do everything she can, okay? You need to give her room. Now."

Rick hesitantly walked out of the room as he watched his niece tend to his son. Rick walked out of the house and onto the porch as Shane and the other man arrived.

"He's alive? He's still alive?" The man asked. Rick didn't respond and wiped his forehead, unknowingly putting blood on his face.

"It's okay." Shane said as he cleaned his friends face with a handkerchief. "You got blood, man."

"I'll take it from you." Shane said as Rick held the handkerchief in his hands.

"Where is he? Where is he? Is he okay?" Shane asked as they entered the house. They watched as Annabella covered up his wound. Blood covered her arms. She seemed calm as if her cousin's life wasn't in her hands. They watched as she leaned down and kissed his forehead. As she lifted her head she noticed the two come in with Hershel behind them.

"How is he?" Rick asked.

"He's stable but will probably need your blood later" she told him.

"What happened?" Hershel then asked the other man as he switched places with Annabella.

"I was tracking a buck. Bullet went though it. Went clean through."

"The deer slowed the bullet down, which certainly saved his life." Hershel said.

"Yeah but it didn't go through clean." Annabella said as she glared at the man. "It broke up into pieces. There's about six or seven."

"I never saw him. Not until he was on the ground." The man told his wife.

"Lori doesn't know.." Rick said. Shane put an arm around Rick's shoulder. "My wife doesn't know. My wife doesn't know."

"Rick." Annabella said pulling his hand away from his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm gonna do the best I can to save him. I promise. I promise."

"You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked Lori.

"She's been gone for a while." Lori said as she followed the group.

"Hey," Daryl said grabbing her attention. "Anna, can take care of herself, alright? I'm sure you know that better than us."

"Daryl's right." Glenn told her. He then let out a chuckle, "Let's be honest here. Bella is a jack of all trades. She's trained with weapons, physical combat, and medicine."

"Medicine?" Carol questioned.

"Yeah, She was a military combat medic for the Special Operations team." Glenn stated as if it wasn't obvious. "Didn't you know?"


	19. Why Would I?

"Rick." Maggie said as soon as she opens the door. She let the two men come into the room. Carl was crying and groaning. "He needs blood."

"Shane, hold him down." Annabella ordered him.

"Dad!" Carl shouted as Shane put him arms around him.

"I got him." Shane told Annabella. Hershel began preparing the transfusion for Rick. Carl let out a scream as Annabella probed trough his wound.

"Almost there, just stay calm." Patricia gently told Carl as she hovered over them. Carl let out another loud scream.

"Stop! You're killing him!" Rick shouted causing Annabella to tense up.

"Rick!" Annabella said as she struggled to control her emotions. She still couldn't accept the fact that she was doing a procedure on her own baby cousin. "Do you want him to live?"

"He needs blood." Hershel stated as Rick stared at his niece and son. He was stuck in a daze.

"Do it now!" Shane shouted at Hershel as Rick snapped out of his daze. Hershel quickly began to inject his arm. Carl's grunting suddenly stopped causing Shane and Rick to worry.

"Wait. Wait. Hey, Bella..." Shane said believing Carl had died.

"He just passed out." Annabella said as she gave him a quick glance. With a shaking hand she pulled out a fragment of the bullet.

"One down..." Annabella said as she placed the fragment down. "Five more to go."

She got up and looked at Hershel, "You can take care of the rest."

She threw her gloves away and exited the room. She went out on the porch and looked at the scenery. She took a couple of minutes to herself before returning back to the room.

"Lori needs to be here." Rick said as she entered the room. "She doesn't even know what's going on. I've got to go find her. Bring her back."

"You can't do that." Hershel said as he finished checking Carl.

"She's his mother." Rick snapped. "She needs to know what happened. Her son's lying here shot."

"And he's going to need more blood. Since I'm doing the procedure I can't give blood." Annabella told him. She turned to look at Shane, "He can't go more than 50 feet from this bed."

Shane nodded as Rick struggled to stand up. Shane walked over to him. "Hey. Hey. Come on."

"I'm alright." Rick said as he began to walk out of the room. "I'm alright."

"I got him." Shane told Annabella as he noticed her worried expression. Annabella walked over to Carl and began to exam his body. She let out a long sigh as she noticed his stomach was distended.

"How is his pressure?" Annabella asked Hershel.

"It's dropping."

"He also has internal bleeding." Annabella told him. "I'm sure you know as well as I do that there isn't enough supplies here for this procedure."

Hershel nodded, "Without the supplies he won't make it."

"Do you know of a place we could go to?" Annabella asked him. He nodded in response. Annabella stood up. "Alright. Let's tell them about the situation."

"He's out of danger for the moment." Hershel began to say as they exited the room. He knew that it was hard for Annabella to tell them. "But Annabella needs to remove those remaining fragments."

"How? You saw how he was." Rick said. Annabella leaned against the doorframe.

"I know and that was the shallowest one. She needs to go deeper to get the others."

"Oh man." Shane muttered.

"There's more."

"Tell me." Rick immediately said.

"His belly's distended, his pressure is dropping, which means there's internal bleeding. A fragment must have nicked one of the vessels. She has to open him up, find the bleeder and stitch it. And he can't move while she's in there— I mean, at all. If he reacts the same as before, she'll sever an artery and he'll be dead in minutes." Hershel explained.

"To even try this, I have to put him under." Annabella told her uncle. "But if I do, he won't be able to breath on his own... he'll end up dying."

"What'll it take?" Rick asked as he struggled to comprehend everything.

"You need a respirator. What else?" Otis asked her.

"The tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures."

"If you had all that you could save him?" Her uncle asked.

"I could try." Annabella bluntly responded.

"Nearest hospital went up in flames a month ago." Otis remarked. He then noticed Hershel's expression. "The high school."

"That's what I was thinking. They set up a FEMA shelter there. They would have everything we need." Hershel told the group.

"Place was overrun last time I saw it. You couldn't get near it. Maybe it's better now." Otis said.

"I said, leave the rest to me." Shane said as he glanced at Rick, "Is it too late to take that back?"

"I hate you going alone." Rick responded.

"Come on." Shane said. "Bella, why don't you give me a list and Doc, draw me a map?"

"You won't need a map. I'll take you there. Ain't but five miles." Otis jumped in.

"Otis, no." Patricia said.

"Honey, we don't have time for guesswork and I'm responsible. I ain't gonna sit here while this fella takes this on alone. I'll be alright."

"Are you sure about this?" Shane asked him.

"Do you even know what any of the stuff she's talking about looks like?"

"Come to think, no."

"I've been a volunteer E.M.T. We can talk about this till next Sunday or we could just go do it real quick."

"I'll take real quick."

"I should thank you." Rick told Otis.

"Don't thank him until Carl's up and moving." Annabella commented.

"I'll gather some things." Otis said before his wife could defend him.

"Where is she, your wife?" Maggie asked. Rick told him where she was supposed to be and she left on a horse. Rick and Hershel returned to Carl's room while Patricia and Otis went to there room.

Shane sat down on the floor as Annabella wrote down the list of things she needed. Once she finished she walked over to him and kneeled down in front of him. She handed him the note. As he grabbed the note he pulled her against him and kissed her.

"I love you." Annabella said as her lips brushed against his. She leaned back away from him and sat down. They were still holding each other's hand with the note in between. "No matter what you can't die."

"Why would I? When the girl I'm madly in love with is depending on me." Shane said with a smile. They immediately let go of each others hand as Patrica and Otis returned. The two stood up from their spot just in time as Hershel and Rick exited the room.

"Ready?" Hershel asked him. Otis nodded as they left the house.

"Just get what you need and get out of there." Rick told Shane as she walked behind them. "You stay strong, alright?"

Annabella watched as her uncle walked over to Otis and handed him his gun. Otis looked at it unsure of what to do.

"That's a fine weapon, Rick." Otis said as he put the weapon on his side. "I'll bring it back in good shape."

Rick walked back over to Annabella and put his arm around her shoulder as the two other men got in the truck. She watched as they drove away. Hershel turned to look at them, "Let's check on your boy."


	20. We Each Have A Job

"Annabella, you're aunt is here." Hershel called out. Annabella quickly got up just as Rick and Lori entered the room. Lori stared at Carl in shock. Annabella moved out of the way so that Lori could get on the bed. Annabella quietly walked out of the room to let them have some alone time.

"You shouldn't worry to much." Hershel told her as she stood outside of the bedroom.

"How can I when my cousin is laying in bed with a gunshot wound and his parents are depending on me to save him."

Hershel stayed silent as he didn't know how to respond. Annabella stared at him noticing his confused face.

"My mom is Hispanic." She said bluntly. She opened the bedroom door and entered the room.

"We need to give him more blood." Annabella told her uncle. He nodded. Annabella proceeded to do the blood transfusion while Hershel checked his blood pressure.

"Slow. Slow." Lori said once the blood transfusion was done. Rick seemed paler then before. Annabella and Hershel exited the room. "How many transfusions?"

"Two. Only two."

"Why hasn't Bella given him any?"

"She's the one that's gonna operate on him. We can't have her being dizzy or anything."

Lori nodded as she looked at her son, "He wanted to do the same for you when you were in the hospital. I had to talk him out of it. In the end Chris and Bella were the ones that did it."

"I'm planing to go check on Shane and Otis." Annabella told Hershel.

"I don't think that's a good idea. You're needed here."

"You're a doctor to aren't you?" She asked. Before he could answer Rick and Lori slowly entered the room. Hershel handed him a glass of orange juice.

"Thank you." Rick said as he took the glass and took a small sip. Annabella and Hershel both signaled for him to drink more.

"I'm going to go get Shane." Annabella told them. Lori nodded. Rick stared at her with uncertainty. "They should've been back by now."

"Okay, so I understand," Lori began to say as she leaned against a chair. "when Bella gets back with Shame and this other man—"

"Otis." Hershel informed her.

"Otis. The idiot who shot may son."

"Ma'am, it was an accident."

"I'll take that under advisement later. For now he's the idiot who shot our son."

"Lori, they're doing everything they can to make it right." Rick told her as Annabella began packing her bag.

"Okay, as soon as she gets back with them you can help perform this surgery?"

"I'll certainly do my best."

"Okay. You've done this procedure before?" Lori asked.

"Well, Yes, in a sense." Hershel said, grabbing Annabella's attention.

"I'm a sense?" Lori questioned.

"Honey, we don't have the luxury of shopping for a surgeon." Rock told her. "Plus Annabella has done this before."

"No, I understand that. But I mean you're a doctor, right?"

"Yes, ma'am. Of course. A vet."

"A veteran? A combat medic like Annabella?"

"You're like me?" Annabella asked him.

Hershel looked between the two, "A veterinarian."

"And You've done this survey before on what?" Annabella snapped not believe he didn't tell her before. Lori and Rick were stunned at what Hershel had said. "Cows? Pigs?"

"I— I have — I have to sit." Rick said as he stumbled down into a chair. Lori grabbed him before he could topple over. Annabella threw her bag to the side of the room.

"I'm not leaving a damn Vet with Carl." Annabella said. "God forbid anything happens while I'm gone and he doesn't know what to do. Seems like I'm the only one here that can save him."

~0~

"Pressure dropping again." Hershel told them.

"That means we can't wait much longer." Annabella told her uncle and aunt.

"Take some more. Whatever he needs." Rick told her. "Then I'm gonna go."

"Go? Go where?" Lori asked him.

"He said five miles. They should be long back by now. Something's gone wrong."

"Are you insane? You're not going after them."

"Rick, listen to Lori." Annabella told her uncle.

"If they got into trouble—"

"You're in no condition to do anything about it. You've given too much blood." Annabella told him.

"If something happens. I have to go." Rick desperately told them.

"No!" Annabella exclaimed. "You're place is here. I wanna go as much as you do but we each have a job. If Shane said he'll be back, he'll be back. He's like you that way."

"I can't just sit here." Rick told her.

"That's exactly what you do!" Annabella snapped as she got close to his face. "If you need to pray or cry or tell god he's cruel you go right ahead, but you're not leaving Rick. You're family needs you here. Not there."

Annabella's voice grew soft, "And I— I cant do this by myself. I can't. It doesn't matter how many times I've done this procedure before I can't do it alone. Not this one."

"I'm sorry." Rick whispered as he realized that his niece was also having a hard time. He pulled her into a hug causing her to cry. It was the first time she cried since finding out about Carl. "I'm not leaving. Not again."

~0~

"It's already dark out." Annabella said as she stood on the porch.

"I'm sure you're man will be back soon." Maggie said.

"How did you—"

"It's pretty obvious with the way you two look at each other." Maggie told her.

"Well not many people now about it."

Maggie chuckled, "I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks." Annabella said. "I'm going to go check on Carl."

"Oh, right. I came out to tell you that Patricia made a sandwich for you."

"Alright." Annabella said before going back inside. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the sandwich that was on the table. She noticed Hershel watching her.

"We should check his pressure." She told him. He nodded as she took the plate along with her. She sat down and watched as Hershel took Carl's blood pressure while she ate.

"Hey." Glenn said by the door way, grabbing their attention.

"Hey." Rick quietly greeted. Annabella turned to look at Glenn and T-Dog.

"We're here, okay?" Glenn said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you." Annabella told him.

"What ever you need." T-Dog said. She noticed his condition and set her plate down.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"His wounds getting worse." Glenn told her.

"I can take care of it. You should stay here." Patricia told Annabella. She nodded and let the older women lead them out of the room. She walked over to Carl and pulled back the covers. She looked at his wound and turned to look at Rick and Lori.

"If they don't come back soon, we're gonna have to make a decision." She told them.

"And that is?" Rick asked her.

"If we should operate on Carl without the respirator."

"You said that wouldn't work." Lori told her.

"I know. It's a huge risk but we can't wait much longer." Annabella told her. Lori got up and left the room.

"I'll talk to her." Rick said before carefully following after her.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom." Annabella said, quickly leaving the room. The frequent urination and nauseous was at its peak lately. After finishing her business she slowly washed her hands.

She was worried. Extremely worried about Shane. He told her he would come back but actions were always bigger than words.

She splashed water on her face. Right now all she needed to do was focus on keeping Carl alive. She needed to stop worrying so much and just believe he would come back.

She exited the bathroom and saw Lori and Rick return. They walked past her and quietly sat down by the door of Carl's room. As she walked over to them the sound of Carl coughing caught their attention.


	21. Stay

"Where are we?" Carl frantically asked. Lori gently brushed his hair back as Rick stood beside of her. Annabella walked to the other side of the bed where Hershel was.

"Hey, little man." Rick great as Carl's parents smiled down at him. "That's Hershel. We're in his house. You had an accident. Annabella and him are helping you. All right?"

Carl nodded, "It hurts, a lot."

"Oh baby, I know. I know." Lori told her son as she continued to soothe him.

"You should have seen it." Carl told her.

"What?" Lori asked.

"The deer. It was so pretty, mom. It was so close. I've never been..." Carl didn't finish what he was saying as he stoped moving. Lori and Rick stared at him worriedly.

"Carl?" Rick asked as Annabella stepped closer to the bed.

"What is happening?" Lori asked her niece. Carl's body began to shake. Rick leaned over to hold him down.

"Don't. It's a seizure." Annabella told them as she turned Carl on his side. "If you hold him down, you could hurt him."

"You can't stop it?" Lori snapped at her.

"He has to go through it. There's nothing we can do." Annabella said ignoring her attitude. Lori got up from the floor and began to sob as she hugged Rick. The four of them watched as Carl went through the seizure. After a couple seconds he stoped. Annabella turned him back over on his back and checked him over.

"His brain isn't getting enough blood." Annabella began to tell them. "His pressure is dropping. He needs another transfusion."

"Okay, I'm ready." Rick told her.

Annabella shook her head, "If I take any more out of you, your body could shut down. You could go into a coma or cardiac arrest."

"You're wasting time." Rick told her as Hershel grabbed his kit.

"You're completely in over your head, aren't you?" Annabella asked Hershel.

"Annabella, aren't we all?"

~0~

"Hey." Annabella said as she stepped out onto the porch. Glenn immediately got up from the rocking chair.

"Hey, sit down." He told her. Annabella gave him a smile as she took the seat. He leaned against the column. "How are you feeling?"

"I think— I think I'm going to be okay with this." Annabella said she put hand over her stomach.

"What made you accept it?"

"Carl." Annabella began to say as she recalled what happened. "He finally woke up and instead of talking about getting shot or crying he talked about the deer. About how beautiful it was and how close he was to it. Despite all the bad that's happened he talked about the good."

Glenn gave her a smile, "Maybe this will be good for us. Maybe this will give others some hope."

"Maybe." Annabella said as she stood up. She walked over to the doorway and turned to look at him. "Thank you, Glenn."

"For what?"

"For keeping quiet. When Shane comes back and things with Carl settle down, I'm going to tell him."

"Oh, shit." Shane groaned as he collapsed on the ground with Otis beside him.

"Got to get back to the street, double back to the truck." Otis told him.

"Look, we ain't gonna make it, okay?" Shane responded.

"Got to try, man. Come on, get up."

"You're gonna take these bags and you're gonna go."

"I ain't leaving you behind." Otis told him.

"No matter what you can't die." Annabella's voice echoed in Shane's head. Shane slammed his hand down onto the ground.

"Okay." Shane said as he and Otis sat up. "How many rounds you got left?"

"Four. You?"

"Five and one in the pipe."

"He's still losing blood faster than we can replace it." Annabella said as she finished checking Carl's pulse. "And with the swelling in his abdomen we can't wait any longer or else he's going to die. So I need to know right now if you want me to do this, because Carl is running out of time."

She watched as Rick and Lori looked at each other. Hershel let out a sigh, "She won't say it so I will, You have to make a choice."

"A choice?" Lori questioned.

Rick turn to look at her, "A choice. You have to tell me what it is. You have to tell me what it is."

"We do it." Lori said as she turned to look at Annabella. "I trust you."

"Patricia!" Hershel called out exiting the room. He and Patricia began preparing the room with the little supplies they had. Annabella quickly went to the bathroom and scrubbed her hands down. When she returned Carl was set onto the metal table. She put on her gloves as Hershel set out the surgical tools. Patricia turned on a lamp next to Carl.

Annabella grabbed a scalpel she turned towards Rick and Lori, "You may want to step out."

Just as she finished her sentence the sound of a car approaching grew closer. Rick walked over to the windows and pulled the curtain back.

"Oh god." Rick said as he realized Shane was back.

"You stay here with him." Hershel told Patricia as Annabella took her gloves off and ran out.

"Carl?" Shane questioned as he limped over towards the group.

"There's still a chance." Rick said as he and Hershel grabbed the supplies. Annabella wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Otis?" Hershel questioned as the two separated.

"No." Shane quietly said as he shook his head. Everyone became silent.

"We say nothing to Patricia. Not till after. I need to focus on helping Annabella." Hershel told the group. He and Annabella ran back inside to Carl.

~0~

"He's stable, he just needs rest right now." Annabella told Rick and Lori as they stood on the porch. 

"Oh god." Rick said as he walked towards her and gave ever a tight hug. Hershel watched with a smile.

"I don't have words." Lori said as she walked up and hugged her as well.

"Thank you, both of you." Rick said as they separated.

Hershel's smile slowly disappeared. "Now, how do I tell Patricia about Otis?"

"You go to Carl." Rick said to his wife. He turned to look at Annabella. "You go wash up, eat, and get some rest." He then looked at Hershel, "I'll go with Hershel."

Annabella watched as the group entered the house while Shane stayed behind. Once they were out of sight he limped over to her.

She grabbed his face and leaned her forehead against his, "I'm glad you made it."

"I told you I wouldn't didn't I? I'd do anything for my woman." Shane as he gave her a quick peck on the lips. He limped into the house and noticed Patrica crying in the kitchen. He looked away and limped into Carl's room where Lori was holding onto his hand.

"Stay." Lori told him. Shane looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Stay with Annabella."


	22. I Can’t Believe It

"The fevers gone down." Annabella told Rick and Lori. Carl's eyes slowly began to open.

"Baby? Carl?" Lori asked as she sat on the bed.

"Sophia?" He began to ask. "Is she okay?"

"Fine. She fine." Rick told him.

"Rest." Annabella ordered. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "You're mom and dad will be here, okay?"

"Okay." Carl said as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The opening of a door caught their attention. They turned to see T-Dog standing at the doorway.

"They're here." He told them. They got up and followed him out of the house just in time to see the rest of the group exit their vehicles.

"How is he?" Dale asked them.

"He'll pull through, thanks to Annabella, Hershel and his people." Lori told him with a smile.

"And Shane." Annabella said. "We'd have lost Carl if not for him."

"Good job." Andrea told her as she gave Annabella a hug. "Didn't know you were a medic until Glenn told us. How long were you planning on keeping it a secret?"

Annabella chuckled, "It was never a secret. There's was just never a need for me until now."

"How'd it happen?" Dale asked.

"Hunting accident." Rick told him. "That's all— just a stupid accident."

~0~

After holding a funeral for Otis, and hearing his last moments from Shane, the group was now discussing Sophia again.

"How long has this girl been lost?" Hershel asked.

"This'll be day three." Rick answered. Maggie walked over to them.

"County survey map." She told them as she opened it up on the hood of the car. "Shows terrain and elevations."

"This is perfect. We can finally get this thing organized." Rick said. "We'll grid the whole area, start searching in teams."

"Not you. Not today." Hershel told him.

"Hershel's right. You gave three units of blood. You can't even jog five miles in this heat without passing out." Annabella said, she then turned to look at Shane. "And your ankle— push it now, you'll be laid up a month, no good to any of us."

"Guess it's just me and you." Daryl said. Annabella nodded.

"I don't think Annabella should go." Glenn said grabbing everyone's attention.

"Why not?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, Glenn. Why not?" Annabella asked as she narrowed her eyes at him. Glenn gulped as he noticed the look in her eyes. He knew that if he said the wrong thing Annabella wouldn't forgive him.

"Someone has to take care of Carl."

"I can do that." Hershel said causing Annabella to smile in approval.

"Well now that, that's settled." Daryl said retuning the attention to him. He leaned over and pointed down at the map. "We're gonna head back to the creek, work our way from there."

"I can still be useful. I'll drive up the interstate, see if Sophia wondered back." Shane told Rick.

"Alright. Tomorrow then. We'll start doing this right." Rick said.

"That means we can't have our people out there with just knives." Shane told him. Annabella adjusted her police ball cap after putting her hair in a low bun. She was wearing her police T-shirt with some dark blue pants. "They need the gun training we've been promising them."

"I'd prefer you not carrying guns on my property. We've managed so far

Without turning this into an armed camp." Hershel told them.

"All due respect, you get a crowd of those things wandering in here..."

"Look, We're guests here. This is your property and we will respect that." Rick said. He pulled out his gun and set it down. Reluctant Shane put his down as well.

"I'm gonna take mine since I'm going out but when I return I'll hand mine in." Annabella told Hershel. He nodded in approval.

"First things first: set camp, find Sophia." Rick said.

"I hate to be the one to ask, but somebody's got to. What happens if we find her and she's bit?" Shane asked. "I think we should all be clear on how we handle that."

"You do what has to be done."

"And her mother? What do you tell her?" Maggie asked.

"The truth." Andrea bluntly responded.

"I'll gather and secure all the weapons. Make sure no ones carrying till we're at a practice range off site. I do request one rifleman on lookout. Dale's got experience." Shane said.

"Our people would feel safer, less inclined to carry a gun." Rick told Hershel. Hershel nodded in approval."Thank you."

Annabella left to get some things ready with Daryl. Shane went into the RV to get the guns. When he came out Lori approached him.

"I hear he woke up." Shane said.

"Yeah. He's in and out, but yeah." Lori said with a smile. "He'll be alright."

Shane chuckled, "that's good."

"Did you mean it?" Shane then asked.

"What?"

"You said "stay with Annabella". Did you mean it? Look, if you didn't just say so. But do it now. I need to know."

"I meant it. As long as you do right. You do right and I'll convince Rick."

"All right then."

"Bell." Glenn said as he approached her. She had just finished checking her gun.

"I already know what your gonna say so don't waste your breath."

"I didn't come to nag at you." Glenn told her. "I have a pharmacy run and wanted to know if you need anything."

"Prenatal Vitamins?" Annabella said. "Just don't let anyone know that you're getting them for me."

"Of course not." Glenn said. He let out a sigh. "Okay, I know I said I wouldn't nag but just be careful, okay?"

"Okay."

"Daryl." Rick called out as Daryl walked past the house. He turned to look at Rick.

"You okay with Bella?" Rick asked as he walked towards him.

"I'm better with just Anna. She knows what she's doing. I'll bring her back before dark." Daryl answered as he started to walk again.

"Hey!" Rick called out. "We got a base. We can get this search properly organized now."

"You got a point or are we just chatting?"

"My point is, it let's you off the hook. Bella can stay here today and I'll go search with her tomorrow. You don't owe us anything."

"My other plans fell through." Daryl said as he walked away. He watched as Glenn walked away from Annabella.

"Ready?" Daryl asked once he reached her. Annabella nodded. "Then let's get going."

"You're uncle is more protective than I thought." Daryl said as they walked through the woods.

"How so?"

"Well he didn't want you to come with me and wanted you to go search with him tomorrow instead."

Annabella let out a sigh, "I don't know why he's acting like my father."

"Ima be honest, I wasn't too sure about bringing you along." Daryl told her as he climbed over a large tree that lay in their path. Once he got to the top he reached out for her hand.

"Why not?" She asked as she took his hand. He gently pulled her up.

"Because..." Daryl said as he helped her get down. "I didn't wanna be dealing with your pregnancy symptoms."

Annabella's eyes widened as she followed behind him. "How did you know?"

"It's pretty obvious to someone that has nobody else to worry about. It makes me more observant."

"Huh?"

"Rick and Lori are worried about Carl. Carol is worried about Sophia. Dale and Andrea have there own issues distracting them."

"You didn't mention Glenn, T-Dog, or Shane."

"T-Dog is starting to notice how much you've been throwing up. And you obviously already told Glenn and Shane, right?"

"I told Glenn.."

"But not Shane?" Daryl questioned. "Wow, I really shouldn't have brought you with me."

"I just haven't had the chance to tell him." Annabella said as they reached a clearing. There was a small white house ahead of them.

"Just stay behind me." Daryl said as he took his crossbow off his back. Annabella cocked her gun and followed behind him. He kicked the door open and the two carefully searched the house. The two entered the kitchen and looked around.

"Daryl." Annabella whispered as she noticed a cracked door. He held his crossbow up to the door as she opened it. Inside was a pillow and blanket which made it obvious someone small had been staying there.

"Let's take a quick look around outside then head back" Daryl told her. They exited the house and began calling out to Sophia but there was no response.

"Oh god." Annabella said as she stoped walking. Daryl turned to look at her. She could feel her leg muscles tightening. She winced as she kneeled down on the ground. 

"What's wrong?"

"I have a leg cramp." She told him as she laid back down against her back.

"Come here." He said as he kneeled down next to her. He carefully massage her leg as she wince.

"I'm good now, thanks." Annabella told him. As Daryl stopped he noticed some Cherokee roses. She watched as he plucked them and went back inside. When he returned the roses were in an empty beer bottle.

"Are those for Carl?" Annabella asked him.

"No, for Carol."

~0~

"Hey, Bella. You came back just in time." Glenn told her. He followed her behind a tree. "I got what you wanted. I also found some pregnancy bras. I'm not sure what your size is so I grabbed a bunch of them."

"Thanks." She said as she took the bottle and bras. She quickly put them into her bag. He nodded and walked away from her seeming a bit more distracted than usual.

"Shane." Annabella greeted as he approached her. "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course. What's going on, princess?" He asked. Annabella looked down and let out a sigh. "What's wrong?"

"I— I don't know how to say this."

"Well just say it. Just as it is."

"Shane, I'm pregnant." She told him.

"You're pregnant?" He asked as he struggled to hold back his smile.

"Are you happy?" She asked. She let out a squeal as he picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

"I can't believe it." Shane said before kissing her. "This is the happiest I've been in a long time!"

"Idiot. Put me down." Annabella laughed. He gently set her back down.

"How far along are you?"

"Around 13 weeks?"

"Wow, we gonna have a little Shane running around."

"Who says it's a boy?"

"I don't care what it is. I'm just happy!" He said as he kissed her. He grabbed her face placing kisses all over it. "Hell im going to be a father!"

"Tone it done!" Annabella exclaimed getting serious. "What are we gonna do about Rick?"

"We leave like we had originally planned."

"Leave? Who's going to help deliver the baby."

"Bella—"

"Shane, maybe staying here on the far would be best for the baby."

Shane sighed, "I'm not to sure about that. When Rick finds out it'll blow up."

The 


	23. The Honest Truth

_"You getting anything?" Annabella asked Shane as he sat in the car._

_"There's nothing." He told her._

_"Big surprise there." She responded as she leaned against the car door._

_"No, I mean there's nothing. Emergency broadcast system stopped, and that recording about the refugee center." Shane said as he exited the car. She leaned off the door and Shane closed it. "It's all gone. Let's go up the road and see what we find out."_

_"Lori, we'll be right back." Annabella told her aunt as she stood with Carol. Lori nodded._

_"Why would they stop broadcasting about the refugee center?" Annabella asked Shane as they walked past the crowd of cars and people._

_"I don't know."_

_"Do you think they're turning people away?"_

_"You're dad's gonna have a riot on his hands if they try." Shane told her. A pair of men began to fight._

_"What should we do?" Annabella asked as he gently pulled her away from the scene._

_"Come here." He said as he continued to hold on to her arm. "We're gonna do what your uncle would want us to do, get Lori and Carl out of here."_

_They stoped as they watched three helicopters fly over them. Shane grabbed her wrist. "Stay with me, now. Come on."_

_The two went off the highway and down the hill where some were already at. They watched as the helicopters headed towards the city._

_"Oh my god." Annabella murmured._

_"Don't tell me they're about to..." Annabella stopped talking as she watched the helicopters bomb the city._

_"They did it. They dropped napalm in the streets." Shane confirmed._

_"Shane." Annabella tearfully said as she took a step forward. "My dad's there..."_

_"Come here." Shane said as he pulled her into a hug. Annabella sobbed as the bombing could still be heard._

_"My dad's gone."_

"I can't believe I slept in." Lori told Carol as Carol hung up clothes.

"You must have needed it." Carol told her. "Feeling Alright?"

"Next time wake me, all right? Especially on laundry day."

"I can manage."

"Where's Bella."

"Still sleeping. As always she enjoys sleeping in."

"You know, before this she actually enjoyed waking up early. She'd always go out at 5am for a morning run." Lori chuckled. Unknown to everyone else, Annabella had just woken up and was getting dressed in the tent. "Where'd she end up sleeping anyways?"

"In my tent. Rick didn't want her sleeping with Shane or with Glenn so I let her sleep with me."

"Morning Guys let's get going. We got a lot of ground to cover." Rick told the group as he passed the women.

"All right, everyone's getting knew search grids today." Rick began to tell the group as they crowded around a map. "If she made it as far as the farm house Bella and Daryl found, she might have gone further east than we've been so far."

"I'd like to help." Jimmy said as he approached the group. Annabella followed behind him with a black tank top, dark blue jeans, and black combat boots on. Her hair was in a low bun again with strands of hair framing her face. "I know the area pretty well and stuff."

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick asked him as Annabella adjusted Shane's baseball cap over her head.

"Yeah, Yeah. He said I should ask you."

"Alright then. Thanks."

"Nothing about what Bella and Daryl found screams Sophia to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse." Shane said as he handed Annabella her gun and an apple. She gave him a smile as she put her gun away.

"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea asked.

"Whoever slept in the cupboard was no bigger than yay-high." Daryl explained.

"It's a good lead." Andrea said as Annabella ate her apple.

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick told him.

"No maybe about it. I'm gonna barrow a horse, head up this ridge right here, take a bird's eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her."

"Good idea." T-Dog said. "Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too."

"Chupacabra?" Rick questioned as Annabella stifled a laugh. 

"You never heard this?" Dale asked as he placed the bag of guns down. "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra."

"What are you braying at, jackass?" Daryl asked as Annabella leaned against Shane and laughed. Rick took a quick glance at them.

"So you believe in a blood sucking dog?" Rick asked him.

"Do you believe in dead people walking around?" Daryl retorted. Jimmy reached over for the rifle. Annabella swatted his hand away.

"Ever fire one before?" Annabella asked as Rick picked up the rifle.

"Well, if I'm going out, I want one."

"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees." Daryl said as he put his cross bow on his back. "Let's go, Anna."

"Actually Daryl, Bella's coming with me." Rick told him.

"Fine by me." Daryl said as he walked away.

"I thought Shane was going with you." Annabella said. Rick nodded. "So you're letting him go alone?"

"He can handle himself."

"Why don't you come train tomorrow?" Shane asked Jimmy. "If you're serious, Bella and I are certified instructors."

"For now he can come with us." Andrea said as her and T Dog began to grab a gun.

"He's yours to babysit then." Shane told her.

"All right, Andrea, T-Dog, I want you guys..."

~0~

"You remember the name of that waitress at the Dairy Queen when we were in high school?" Rick asked Shane as Annabella finished hammering a red cloth down. The three of them haven't talked since they began searching the woods.

"I know you, Shane, well enough to that there's only one sure-fire way of engaging you in a conversation, and that is to start asking you about girls you did in high school. I don't want to but I'm willing to do it if that's what it takes. And I'm sure Bella would be interested in hearing stories of our past." Rick said to him.

"Maryanne. I told you about her?" Shane reluctantly answered. He knew that Rick was trying to paint him out to be a bad guy for Annabella.

"In excruciating detail."

"Excruciating, my ass. You used to live for those details back in the day."

"I was impressionable." Rick said causing Shane and Annabella to chuckle. "And I may have been living vicariously through you."

"Why wouldn't you with my impressive list of accomplishments?" Shane said knowing that Annabella didn't care about Shane's womanizing past. He turned to look at Annabella and laughed. "I was an artist in his prime. A protege."

"You mean prodigy." Annabella correct him as they stoped for a moment.

"Maybe. Is prodigy what you call a young high school stud that bangs 30 year olds in the regular."

"What 30 year old were you banging in high school?" Rick asked.

"The P.E teacher." Annabella said as she recalled what Shane once told her.

"Mr. Daniels?" Rick asked.

"Mrs. Kelly." Shane corrected causing Annabella to laugh.

"The girls volleyball coach? Wasn't she married?" Rick questioned.

"C'mon."

"You know what I just remembered? Why I never ask you about this stuff."

"Rick, why don't we talk about your high school, love life then?" Annabella asked.

"Well, that's a short conversation." Rick answered.

"It may even already be over." Shane said.

"That right?" Rick responded.

"There was Holly, right?" Shane then asked. "Nope that was me too. Then there was Sheila. That's the one you lied to me about."

"I never lied about Sheila. I just got mixed up about what the bases meant."

"Just so you know, a home run, that usually means a sexual act." Annabella told him. "That's intercourse."

"Yeah, I realize that now."

"I think what you did was more like a ground rule double or something." Shane told him.

"I'm aware of the judge's ruling."

"Sounds like my dad didn't teach you anything." Annabella said causing the men to laugh.

"God, I'm surprised Chris even found Natalie." Rick commented. The three instantly grew silent at the mention of Annabella's mom. It's a topic Annabella had never liked. Her mom was an emergency medicine doctor and had been killed during a hospital shooting.

"We shouldn't be talking about this stuff." Shane then said. "That life, it's fine and everyone in it. Sheila. Maryanne. Mrs.Kelly. It's like we're old folk. All the people in our stories are all dead."

"We can't just forget them." Rick said as Annabella silently followed behind them.

"The hell we can't. It's hard enough accepting what's happened without digging up the past. I'll tell you what it is. It's nostalgia. It's like a drug. Keeps your from seeing things the way they are. That's a danger. You got people depending on you."

"You think I don't know that?" Rick asked Shane.

"I don't know. What are we doing? You got every able body at your disposal out scourging these woods for a little girl we three know is dead."

"You think we should abandon the search?"

"It's not my call, is it?"

"I'm asking. I'm asking the both of you."

"Survival, Rick. It means making the hard decisions. But you got this knack. You spread us thinner and thinner. I'm trying to save lives here and your out saving cats from trees."

"Is that what you think Sophia is, a cat in a tree?"

"Don't do that, man. Don't twist my words."

"Rick, Shane is right." Annabella finally spoke up. Rick looked at her in disbelief. "How many times did we get called to look for a missing child? You got 72 hours. 72 hours, and after that we're looking for a body. That was before the outbreak."

Rick stayed silent. Shane shook his head, "Man, you honestly think we're just gonna find Sophia alive?"

"Are you both that sure we won't?"

"We being completely honest?" Annabella asked.

"I'm counting on you both to be."

"It's math, man." Shane said with a shrug. "Love or not, Sophia only matters to the degree in which she don't drag the rest of us down."

Rick looked away not believe what came of of his mouth. Shane shrugged, "I thought you wanted honest."

"If we just moved on, man, we'd be halfway to Fort Benning right now and Carl wouldn't have gotten shot." Shane said as he began to get angry. "You said so yourself. But we're out here, we're risking lives. You're son almost died and put Annabella in an uncomfortable position. Otis, he paid that bill. What the hell are we still doing this for?"

"I had her in my hand, Shane. She looked me in the eyes and trusted me. I failed her. If I hadn't she wouldn't be out here. I think she's still alive and I'm not— I'm not gonna write her off." Rick told him.

"Guys." Annabella said grabbing their attention so they wouldn't fight. She signaled to the tree next to her. "It's blue. It's Andrea and T-Dog. Looks like we wondered into their grid."


End file.
